Betrayal
by Shield-Maiden-of-Sherwood
Summary: PART 1 OF 3 After a betrayal that leaves her husband to die in her arms, Eva is out for blood. Now a former assassin, she's on the hunt for her betrayer but gets attacked and her target flees without a trace of his whereabouts. As she tries to track him again, she's arrested and brought before King John of Nottinghamshire and offered a deal. Her freedom for killing Robin Hood.
1. Til Death Do Us Part

I sat on the one of the large stones outlooking the water. I couldn't do it. I watched the water fall from the sky and cover the land around me. I blocked out the coldness I felt as a gust of wind crashed against my drenched form. I deserved it. I let everyone down. The king, my family, and him…

I close my eyes and let the water drip down my over my face. I could just off myself right now. I have a sword of my own that would work perfectly. No. That's a coward's death. I'm better off walking far away into the wilderness and let the animals take me. At least the thought of animals picking at my carcass is better than the fate that awaits me in Nottinghamshire.

I draw my knees to my chest and rest my chin on my knees. I couldn't help but wonder if he's looking for me? I mean I did run off without really explaining anything. Not that I could have, given the fact that I was hired to kill him when he was most vulnerable. Funny how things work. I felt a small warmth as my memory brings me back to that night…that glorious night. The warmth, the secure feeling…

I shake my head. It was wrong. It shouldn't have happened. I shouldn't have gotten so close.

_You were vulnerable. You wanted to me loved…_ The voice inside my head says.

I open my eyes and look out at the water. "I don't deserve to be loved." I whisper. "I deserve to die. I betrayed everyone." Anger rushed through me so fast I couldn't breathe for a moment. I should have just done my job, took the reward and left!

The coldness bites at me and I wrap my arms around myself. I have a decision to make but until I make up my mind, I'm not leaving this spot.

**_5 years ago…._**

"Ow!"I cringe as my shadow sister, Dyota, tugged at my hair.

"Sorry." She said softly before finishing with my hair. "There you go!" She shifts slightly and hands me a small polished metal mirror. I smile at the two plaits on either side that came together into one braid in the back while the rest of it was down. Weaved into the side braids were little flowers and ribbons. "I love it!" I look over at her and she beams.

I thank her once more before standing and smoothing out the front of my gown as her delicate fingers start to lace up the back. I play with the belled sleeves. She ties it tighter and tighter until I gasp. "Can you breathe?" She asks.

"Barely."

She loosens it slightly and finishes. "There, done!"

I turn around and look at her. "How do I look?" I grin. She clasps her hands together.

"You look beautiful, sister!" She grins. She looks over to the doorway and quickly goes silent. I turn to see William.

Dressed in guard armor, he crosses his large arms over his chest. "Eva. Leo needs to speak with you of our mission. He wants to go over the plans."

I nod and say goodbye to Dyota before following William down the stone hallway. I stride up next to him and frown. "So serious." I say before looking at him. He smiles at me and swiftly picks me up in his arms.

"You look beautiful." He says as he carries me into his living quarters and sets me down. His hands gently run over my arms. I shiver.

I turn away dramaticly. "Sir! I'm almost a married woman!" I say putting the back of my hand up to my forehead. I hear his deep voice chuckle as he turns me around. His gentle blue eyes look into mine and I smile.

"You are married, my dear lady."He leans forward, his lips brushing mine. "To me." He kisses me and I giggle and wrap my arms around him. Marrying William was one of the greatest days of my life. Afterall, he was the one who recuited me into the Shadow Hunters after killing my stepfather.

_Long ago…._

_My step father was a cruel man who beat me and called me foul things. He forced me to clean his house and work for him while sitting around and drinking mead all day long. One night when I was cleaning the cinders out of the fireplace, my step father had fallen asleep in the chair with a bottle of mead in his hand. I gently hummed to myself while trying to block out his snoring. I heard something hit the ground and turned to see the bottle of mead shattered on the ground. I frown. "Wonderful." I mutter. I crawl over to the mess._

_"Careful, Lass." I hear a deep voice say. Startled I lean back and look around. Maybe it was just my imagination playing tricks on me. I turn to the cinder pile and hear his tankard hit the floor with a metallic sound. He grumbles and looks around before seeing the shattered bottle. His eyes bore into me as he stands. "Why you stupid little harlot! Why I'll—" He stops mid-sentence and his eyes go wide and his mouth opens in an O shape._

_"Father?" I say. He gasps and blood trickles down his neck into his tunic before he falls sideways onto the little table. It breaks and he falls to the ground. "Father!" I crawl towards him when a man dress in black steps out of the shadows. "Careful, Lass." I look up and my eyes widen. The man is tall and wearing black robes with a black hood that covers his face excluding the eyes. I quickly scramble backwards._

_"Please…"I plead. "Please don't hurt me. Take anything you want!" Hot tears start to form and slide down my cheeks. He steps forward and removes his hood._

_"Easy, lass. I'm not here to hurt you." He says softly. He slowly steps forward and I see his face in the moonlight that pours in through one of the windows. He has a strong jaw with a bit of stubble. His dark hair is cut short. He's actually kind of…handsome._

_"Wh-who are you?" I asks shakily. "Why did you kill my father?"_

_He looks around. "Are you alone?"_

_"Maybe." I say, attempting to sound strong. "Answer me."_

_He looks at me for a moment and takes a breath. "I'm a Shadow Hunter. An assassin. I was paid by a client to kill your father after he stiffed him for a few cases of mead."_

_"Are you going to kill me now?" I ask, afraid of the answer._

_His brow furrows. "Normally I would so I don't leave witnesses but—"_

_"Just kill me." I cut him off. "I have no way of paying for food or anything. He was all I had left after my mother died a year ago." My lip quivers slightly. "I'll starve to death anyways. It's better off to just end my life now."_

_He looks at me with… sympathy? Pity? Stepping closer he holds out a hand. "Come with me."_

_I look at his hand then back at his face. "Why?"_

_"Please?" He smiles. I grab his hand and he helps me up. I stand there for a moment not quite sure what to do as he looks around. "Is there anything around here that you want to take with you?"_

_I think about this and nod. "My mother's necklace."_

_"Grab it and anything else you want to take with you then meet me outside. And hurry."_

_I nod and cross the room to kitchen and grab the empty potato sack and grab my mother's jewelry box, my father's small sack of coins and his dagger along with my night rail and two gowns before stepping outside. The man is sitting atop big black horse when I walk out. He looks over at me. "Ready?"_

_I nod as I approach slowly. I haven't really been around many horses in my life. The man holds out a hand and smiles. "Don't worry, lass. He's friendly. Come on." I walk over and grab his hand. Putting a foot in one of the stirrups and he pulls me up onto the horse. I quickly fall forward and he chuckles. 'You okay,lass?"_

_"Uh huh." I say, slightly embarrassed._

_"Better hold on." He says and makes a clicking noise. The horse goes and I almost fall back before grabbing around his waist. Under his robes I can make out the hardened muscles of his stomach making me bite my lip. "So…may I ask your name?" I say._

_"My name is William. William Hastings." He replies. "How about you?"_

_"Eva Dowgate." I reply. "It's a pleasure to meet you William."_

_He turns his head slightly and I see him smile. "Likewise, my lady."_

_We ride through the night to this mossy rock. He brushes aside the hanging moss to reveal a door. He does something before we hear a click and the door opens. He motions me inside and I walk into the room. William disappears for a moment as stare down a brightly lit hallway that leads down. He reemerges from behind me with my sack of things and hands it to me before guilding me down the hallway. As we get closer to the end, we hear voices. We turn the corner into this big open area to a table full of food and people talking. There's about two women and two men in black robes like William's. The man at the head of the table turns to look at us. He has a small beard and light blonde hair. "Ah William! How did it go?" He smiles. He notices me and his smile falters slightly. "Who's your friend?"_

_The other three shift uneasily as William pushes me forward a little bit. "New recruit."_

_The other three greet me as the Blonde haired man stands up. "How about you get acquainted with the other members while William and I discuss some business." He says to me with a smile. I nod and walk over to the table while the two men step into a nearby room._

_"Delvin, let me explain…" William starts._

_"Who is that?" Delvin demands. "You had a contract to get rid of somebody, bring one home."_

_William runs a hand over his hair. "I know. She's the daughter of my target. Her name is Eva and I think she can help us get back the reputation we once held long ago."_

_"Did you see her show some sort of skill? Lock picking? Pick Pocketing? Oh I don't know… killing people?"_

_"No…" He says and Delvin rolls his eyes. "But when I was scouting out my target I saw how badly he treated the lass. I couldn't bare to watch a beautiful woman go through that."_

_Crossing his arms over his chest, Delvin smirks. "You like her, eh?"_

_"That's not the point." William frowns. "If I left here there, she'd starve to death. I couldn't let that happen."_

_Delvin sighs. "Will… we're killers. We're not an orphanage for lonely children and we're definitely not some heroes here to save the day."_

_"Please Delvin." He begs. "I'll train her myself if I need to. Please let her stay."_

_"Fine." Delvin sighs. "But if she makes a bad name for us and we have the guards knocking on our door, you get to answer to the family. Got that?"_

_Grinning, he nods. "Thanks Delvin. You won't be disappointed."_

_"I better not be." They walk back out just as Edric, Dyota and Lucia were telling Eva stories of their past targets._

_"Now there was this jester…Cicero was his name. Quite the madman." Edric exclaimed, the red braids of his mustache bouncing with every word spoken. "Claimed that if he thought hard enough, he could walk straight through walls!"_

_William clears his throat and they all look at him. Turning to Delvin he grins. "Go ahead boss."_

_Delvin steps forward and looks straight at me. "Well Eva….Welcome to the Shadows!"_

_I smile and glance at William who winks at me while the others cheer. Edric stands up so quickly his belly knocks over a plate and spills his tankard. He grabs the nearest one and raises it, splashing Lucia with mead. "Hey!"She exclaims._

_"To our newest Shadow Sister!" Edric cheers._

_The all raise a fist in the air and chant. Delvin silences them and looks at me. "William will get you set up with a room and robes. For the meantime, William will be in charge of training you. You may ask your other Shadow siblings if you need extra help with things like Archery, Sneaking and lockpicking, sword fighting or anything. We're all here to help. Welcome to the family."_

_Another round of cheers. Delvin looked over at William and nodded before taking a seat back at the table. I look back at William who motions for me to come with him. I follow him down a hall. Until we can get another room set up, you'll have to sleep in the extra bed in my room. Hope you don't mind._

_I shake my head. "Not at all! A bed is a bed."_

_He smiles at me. "You know lass, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship."_

From then on, William trained me into the master thief and assassin I am today. And with each training session, we grew closer and closer until we decided to go to a temple on our way back from a mission and get married.

Many times we would be each other's backup on dangerous missions like today when I would be impersonating the Princess Marie from France who was betrothed to Prince Alexander of York and was set to meet and wed today. The contract consisted of the Prince to be executed right as him and his new bride addressed their quests at the public reception.

I finally pull away and look into his eyes. "I love you so much." I say resting my forehead against him.

"I love you too, lass." We pull away and he leads me to Delvin's quarters. We arrive to see him pacing around his room. He stops as soon as he sees us.

"Good. You're both here. Now how do we get in?" He tests us.

"I ride in on the horse we stole as Princess Marie with Edric and William passing off as my royal guards. I am taken to meet Prince Alexander, our target before rushed away to get ready for the wedding. " I answer.

Delvin nods. "Good, good. And if they ask about the lack of royal carriage?"

"It was overtaken by bandits and most of my guards were killed. The three of us were just able to get away." I grin.

"Then right before the wedding feast, Edric will poison the Prince's drink just enough to weaken him." William adds.

"Then he'll excuse himself saying he's feeling ill…" Delvin says.

"I'll tell him to first let us address our guests from the balcony and thank them for coming then when all eyes are on him, I kill him!" I finish with a huge grin.

"Perfect!" Delvin exclaims with a laugh. "Escape plan?"

"The guards will make their way towards her and I'll try to divert them while Edric and Lucia hold them off. I lead Eva away and out to the forest where we'll meet up with Dyota who has our horses and weapons ready." Willaim smiles at me. "And I'll fight off any guards on the way out since Eva won't have any weapons with her."

"Perfect. Then you'll all meet back here." Delvin nods. "Alright. Walk in the shadows my friends. I'll see you back here later. Try not to get killed."

William and I leave Delvin's quarters and walk down the hallway in silence. William's hand brushes against mine and his fingers intertwine with mine and he smiles at me. We stop by Dyota so I can put on my word cloak before heading outside. I watch as Edric, Lucia and Dyota mount their horses before William helps me upon my large steed. As soon as I'm atop my horse he grasps my small hand in his and presses a kiss to the back and smiles. "For better or worse."

I smile and he releases my hand and climbs up upon his horse and we start our long journey to trip is long and tiring with a few breaks to eat and make camp for the night. We sleep under the stars and tell old stories of missions before putting out the fire and going to sleep. I lay with my husband facing me. I can see his stubbled chin and warm blue eyes in the slivers of moonlight through the trees. His warm hand caresses my arm as I snuggle closer to him.

"You alright, lass?" He whispers. Smiling, I nod.

"Yes. Just a little cold. That's all."

He pulls the blanket up around me more and pulls me closer. The heat from his body warms me up and I rest my head on his broad chest. Breathing out a sigh of content I close my eyes and let my sleepiness take over.

We awaken the next morning and Dyota fixes my hair which was messed up in my sleep. William stands guard as I bathe in a nearby creek and change into my gown. Lucia catches some rabbits that we skin and cook on the fire while Dyota silently passes out apples, cheese and mead. I sit and listen to the birds churping overheard while we eat and wonder if we'll ever be that free. I mean sure I love my family and everything they've done for me but can't help but wonder…

I'm brought back from my thoughts when I feel William grab my hand and give a little squeeze. He gives me a small smile which I return before we return to our meal.

Not long after we have packed up our camp, we're back on the road. A little ways from the gate, we stop where Dyota and Lucia dismount. Lucia changes into the uniform we stole off a York guard who was on the road. She then takes off to check in with the guards while the men and I get ready to make our entrance. "Walk in the shadows, sister." I say to Dyota.

"As do you."She smiles.

We take off towards York with a man on either side of me. We reach the massive wooden gates where one of the two guards in front stop us. "Halt! Who are you?"

Edric steps forward and I stifle a laugh as the guard steps back slightly. "I present the bride-to-be Princess Marie of France." Edric says regally.

The guard looks us over. "Where are your other carriages? Where are the other guards?"

Edric hangs his head. "Unfortunately they didn't make it. We were ambushed by bandits on the way here. Many guards were killed while they robbed us burnt our carriages. We were lucky enough to make it out!"

"Bandits have been reported rather recently near here…" The guard says. He nods. "Alright, welcome my lady and congratulations on your engagement."

I lower my head and look at him with a small smile. "Thank you." I say sweetly. They open the doors and we make our way to the stables. William helps me down from my mount and are escorted by a servant to the great hall. As we enter I am in awe at the place. Banners are hung on the walls of red and gold. Golden candle stands give the large room a warm feeling. I'm announced to the King and prince who sit in gold thrones inlaid with rubies on a large platform ahead of me.

I walk the large red carpet until I'm a few feet away and curtsey. "My lord." I say to the King.

"Rise child." His voice booms. "Let me take a look at you." I rise and hold my chin up. His son is a small man who looks like a boy who's possibly no older than 15. He sat awkwardly in his chair as he gawked at her. "Ah yes… You are much more beautiful than they said!" He smiles. "You are a perfect match for my son! Alexander, rise!"

The poor child stumbled a bit as he stood. "My lady." He said in a soft voice. He bowed and I curtsied before the King announced for preparations of the wedding. I'm led away to my quest chamber to start with the preparations. After a warm bath with lavender and other oils, I am dried and dressed in beautiful green gown with blue ribbons and a long cape that attached to my shoulder with golden clasps trailed behind. My hair is redone with cornets and a hairnet before a flower headdress with blue and green ribbons is placed upon my head. I'm fed wine and cheese while being prepared. As soon as it was time I am hurried along the hallways. I'm stopped momentarily so the ladies can attach my veil. They rush me into a carriage and ride along with me.

When we reach the church I'm told to wait until Alexander arrives and the ladies open the carriage doors. The boy holds out his hand and helps me down the steps and offers his arm. I take it as I flash him a smile and look at him through my lashes. "Thank you, my lord." I purr.

He blushes and smiles back at me. Everyone with stands about outside while the priest before us closes the gate to prevent entry.

"Are you both of age?" The priest asks.

"Yes." We reply.

"Do you both have parental consent?"

"Yes."

"Is it correct that you are not related in a way that will prevent you from a wedding in accordance with the law? That being having a common great great grandparent?"

"That is correct."

The dowry is read aloud and Alexander hands me a small bag of coins to be distributed to the was to symbolize his willingness to give me financial management on his behalf. Following, there's a short sermon on the steps, we say our vows, Alexander places a ring on my finger and I distribute the coins before the church doors are opened so all can enter. Everyone takes a seat and the prayers and mass begin.

The entire time we stand under a canopy of blue. The priest gives Alexander the kiss of peace which he turns to me. Blushing he presses a small kiss to my lips before quickly straightening. The blessing is pronounced and the service ends. Turning to face the doors which we entered, Alexander offers his arm and I take it. Coins are thrown over our heads as we walk down the aisle. Edric and William are posted at the doors and I glance at William before we step out into the light. One of the maids carry the back of my train as Alexander and I helped into our carriage. The doors are shut and we sit across from one another.

The entire ride, Alexander quietly sits looking out the window. His awkward stance making me feel a little of pity for him. Such an awkward boy. It's a little unfortunate I'll have to kill him.

As we reach the castle, the people of York stand around waiting to see their new Princess. Alexander gets out of the carriage first and offers his hand. Taking it I slowly climb out and take his arm. We walk up the stone steps and into the great hall where we walk up before the King and Queen. The king announces the feast and festivities. The music starts to play as we are ushered over to the large table. The wedding feast is a very lavish affair with many specialty dishes. This included 406 loaves, 250 eggs, 100 pounds of cheese, two quarters of oxen, 16 of mutton, 37 capons, 11 chickens, 2 boars heads and feet for jelly, roasted pigeons and waterfowl. To drink there was local provincial wines and Chianti imported from Tuscani.

People laughed, eat, and danced through the event. Alexander called for Edric to bring him his jeweled goblet which he drank rather quickly. Gifts were presented to us and I could see Alexander looking more and more pale by the hour.

"Are you alright, dearest?" I ask with mock concern. "You're looking a bit pale." I frown for effect. He draws a deep breath and slowly shakes his head.

"I'm not feeling very well. I think I should go lie down for a spell…" He says as he starts to rise. I touch his arm and he looks at me.

"Just a little longer?" I plead. "Soon we'll address the people and then you can retire to the bed chamber for the rest of the night."  
>Sighing he nods. "I guess I can wait a while longer." He lowers himself back down onto his seat and I smile. The time passes until I help Alexander up and we walk out of area to the door to the staircase leading up the balcony. It takes a while which worries me that Edric gave him too much. We reach the top where two guards are standing near the doors. I guide him over to the little wall as we look our at the people of York.<p>

Seeing their prince they cheer. He smiles and waves to them. "My people!" He says as the cheering dies down. "My new wife and I would like to thank you for being here today to celebrate in this grand occasion. Please enjoy the food and music in our honor!" The people cheer and he looks at me.

"Is there…anything you'd like to say?" He says with a weak smile. Now is the time.

Smiling I nod. I look at the expectant faces of the people of York. "Today marks a day! A day that will change life as you know it!"

Some people cheer while others look around dumbfounded. Alexander raises and eyebrow at me. "What do you mean?" He whispers.

I smirk and raise a fist in the air. "Vive les ombres!" I yell. Before he can react, I grab the jeweled sword from his belt and in one swift movement, decapitate him. I quickly drop the sword as Alexander's head rolls away, caught in a surprised expression. The people scream in horror as his headless body slumps to the ground and the guards behind me quickly grab me. Panicking, I squirm violently.

"Easy lass." I hear one of the guards say. Recognizing my husband's voice I stop for a moment while they haul me down the steps.

"Okay as soon as we reach outside the doors, I'll hold them off while you two make a break for it." I hear the other guard, Edric say. William agrees and we burst through the doors. As promised, Edric broke free and started hacking at the real guards while William pulled me by my arm with him. As we ran, an arrow whizzed back my head. William knocked over a few guards and sliced at them as they approached until we made it to the door leading outside. I unclasped my cape and through it at a guard, blinding him for a moment while we slipped through the door. I picked up my dress and ran alongside my husband but stumbled due to the length of the damn dress. William scooped me up into his arms and ran until we were far enough in the wood s where we lost them. Stopping, he set me down and leaned over as he tried to catch his breath. Finally he let out a laugh. He smiled at me before straightening.

"You were wonderful Lass!" He picked me up and spun me around laughing before setting me down with his hands on my side. "I love you so much." He says before presses a soft kiss to my lips. Wrapping my arms around his neck I kissed him back. Pulling away we rested our foreheads together and just smiled.


	2. Blood in the Mud

The sky is a dusty pink when we finally reach our camp. Lucia and Dyota are sitting next to a fire while Lucia pokes at the fire with a stick. She smirks at us. "Well there you two are. We were wondering what happened."  
>William sets me down and I walk over to our little tent and change into a tunic and leggings.<br>"Where's Edric?" I hear William ask.  
>"Hunting." Lucia replies. "He left about an hour ago. He should be back soon."<br>I change and sit by the fire and help Dyota with the stew when Edric walks back with rabbits slung over his shoulder. "I got food!" He beams. He and William skin the animals and start cooking it before putting it in the stew. William drops down onto the log next to me and I smile. He grabs my hand and presses soft kiss to my palm.  
>"So how did it go?" Dyota asks as she spoons stew into wooden bowls.<br>Wiliam glances at me. "It went perfectly."  
>Edric laughs. "You should have seen the look on the boy's face when Eva grabbed his sword and swung at him!"<br>"I think yelling 'Long Live the Shadows!' in French was a nice touch." Lucia grins at me. The light from the fire flickers basking us all in a orange glow. I smile back at her.  
>"I thought it was fitting since I was passing myself off as French royalty." I giggle.<br>"Well you did great Lass." William says. We eat our rabbit stew with some of the bread, cheese Edric managed to steal from the wedding feast along with some wine and jeweled goblets. After we eat, Edric and William recall the entire scene with theatrics making all of us laugh.  
>Not too long after, we put out our fire and receded into our tents. I was the first inside mine and William's tent. I was fixing our blankets when William comes up behind me. He hugs me from behind and kisses my temple. "I have a small gift for you." He whispers. I turn around to face him, smiling.<br>"Really? What is it?"  
>He reaches into the pouch attached to his belt and holds it up. In the slight moonlight, I make out the moonstone and sapphire amulet. "Oh my…."I start to say as he hands it to me. I look at the jewelry in my hand in awe. "It's beautiful! Where did you get it?"<br>"Let's just call it a…wedding present." He chuckles. I wrap my arms around his neck and run my hand through the hair on the back of his head before pressing my lips against his. His arms encircle me as he kisses back. I pull away for a moment catching my breath. "Help me put it on?" I whisper.  
>"Of course." He says in a husky whisper. I hand the amulet to him and turn around. I hold my hair up as he drapes it around my neck and fumbles with the clasp. The warmth of his hand on my neck sends shivers down my spine. After fastening the necklace I feel his fingertips graze over my shoulders. On my right side, his hands slides the fabric off my shoulder. My breathing becomes ragged as a warmth rushes through me. I feel his breath near my neck, then his lips gently touch the sensitive part where my neck and shoulder meet. I close my eyes as his lips slowly move down my shoulder to my upper back. All the while, his hands have slipped down to undo my belt. It's tossed to the side and hand hands under my tunic. I turn around to face him. I'm pulled into the intense heat in his blue eyes. My lips find his and the heat I feel engulfs me. Before I know it, we're lying together beneath the blankets with our limbs tangled together. I let out a content sigh as I gentle run my fingers over his strong forearm as his arm is hooked under mine as he holds me. My back is to his chest and I feel the warmth of his breath on my neck.<br>"I wish every night was like this…" I whisper into the darkness.  
>I listen to his breathing and wonder if he's still awake when answers in a low whisper. "It can be, Lass."<br>I shift slightly so I can look at him. "How?"  
>"We can run away together." He grins.<br>I frown. "We can't…. the Shadows Sanctuary is our home. This is our family."  
>He moves a stray lock of hair from my face. "I know but….we can have a home to call our own." He smiles. "A little cottage where we can raise chickens, and cows." He pulls me closer. "Also…we can start a family of our own. Wake up every morning to the pitter-patter of wee ones."<br>Just the idea made me smile. I could possibly be with child as we speak for all I know. "Is that what you want? A home and a family?" I ask softly.  
>"It would be nice." He says with a smile. "But only if you want those things too." He rubs my arm and I cuddle closer.<br>"I do…"  
>"Then it's settled! When we get back home, we'll gather up our things, I'll grab the money I've been saving up and we'll go far away and start our lives together." He beams as he places a hand on my stomach. "Hopefully part of our new live is already started."<br>I smile and give him a kiss. "I love you." I whisper.  
>"I love you too, Lass."<p>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
>Eager to get home, we woke up and have a quick breakfast before packing up and hitting the road. As we rode the slight misting we had had most of the journey became heavier and heavier until it was down pouring. Nonetheless, we rode on through a forest path only known to The Shadow Hunters as a quick route back to the Sanctuary.<br>"The road is getting really muddy!" Lucia yells over the wind and sound of rain fall. "Maybe we should stop and wait for it to pass!"  
>Suddenly an arrow whizzed past and struck into Edric's leg. He cries out and we all scan around us. All I can see is the green thickness of trees around us but any details were hard to see due to the rain. William draws his blade and the rest of us take his lead.<br>"Who's there?" He bellows. "Who dares cross us?"  
>Another arrow just barely whizzes past his cheek. It must have grazed his cheek since his hand flew up to his face. My heart rate accelerates as I try to look around again. I hear some murmuring and then there was silence. Dead silence with exception of the sound of rain fall. I hear Edric make a pained sound from in front of me as I guessed he pulled the arrow out of his leg.<br>We waited for what seems like forever for any sign of our attackers. William looks around for a moment. His gaze stops at the forest and he dismounts his horse. He walks over to a section of trees and then the clashing of metal upon metal. Yells erupt from around us and people run out from the shadows.  
>"It's an ambush!" I hear Edric yell. Sword in hand I quickly jump off my horse and run towards one of the figures before me. My sword blade meets theirs and they swing at my head and I duck, kicking them backwards. The stumble back and slice their side before pushing my blade right through them. They stop and fall down and I look around. The rain as lightened a little enough so I can see Lucia, Edric and Dyota fighting off people. No sign of William.<br>I pull my sword out of the person's body just as another one immerges with a sword held over their head. He swings at me and I block it with my sword. He recoils and tries to hit me again from the side but I block each swipe. Angry, he pulls his arm back and stops mid swing with a surprised look on his face. I watch as a blade disappears back into his body and he topples over. I smile at Dyota as she appears from behind him, her blade coated in blood. "I've got your back, Sister."  
>I nod and look around me once more looking for any sign of William. I find him a little ways off in a battle with one of the thugs. He's kicked in the stomach and sinks down. I start making my way towards him, slicing whoever comes at me in the process. The man kicks him in his side, yelling something I can't make out. Another kick and more yelling. William tries to reach his sword which is mere inches away from his hand.<br>Jumping over bodies, I run up behind the man and slice open his arm. Crying out he turns to me. His gaze burning into me, he swipes at me and I block it.  
>"Careful Lass!" William calls out.<br>The guy swings again and knocks my sword out of my hand. My eyes widen as he steps toward me grinning evily. "Would you look at that…. Looks like you have no way to defend yourself! That's a pity. It really is." He raises his blade once more and I lightly move to my right and kick him square in the elbow. He stumbles slightly, gjiving William a chance to grab his sword slash him in the side. He cries out in pain before falling down. Rushing over to a bloodied and tired looking Will, I sheath my sword. "Will!" I say.  
>"I'm fine." He says. "How are you, lass?"<br>"I'm a fine. Not a scratch." I say making him smile. He sheaths his weapon and steps toward me, taking my face in his hands. "I'm so glad you're safe." Leaning my head toward his touch, I close my eyes for a moment.  
>"When I saw you on the ground, I…" My lip quivers slightly. I didn't even want to think about what could have happened.<br>"Oh Lass… Don't you…." He stops suddenly and I open my eyes.. His expression is stuck in a confused expression.  
>"William?" I say. He doesn't respond and my heart rate quickens. "William? What's wrong?"<br>He coughs slightly and his hands fall from my face.. "William!" I cry. He sinks to his knees as the thug pulls out his sword, coated in William's blood. Will slumps over and I look down in horror before turning to look at his assailant. "You." I hiss. He casually looks up at me and smirks,  
>"Oops." He says.<br>My adreniline fueled by grief and hatred, I unsheath my sword and battle it out. He just barely blocks every violent swing with a clang. I pause for a moment as he nix my arm. With all my might, I shift I swing my leg, catching him under his chin. He falls back and his head hit's a tree trunk with a sickening thud. He groans and his eyes flutter shut.  
>I breath heavily glaring at him before glancing at Willam. My expression softens and I drop my sword. I sink down next to him and lay his head in my lap. Tears start to fall as I wipe the wet strands of hair that cover his eyes. "Will!" I sob.<br>Blinking as water pours down on us, he looks around until he sees my face. His breathing comes in short, choppy breaths as he smiles. "There…ye are Lass." He says. He coughs and I shush him.  
>"take it easy. You'll be fine. We'll get you cleaned and bandaged up." I say through the tears. "We'll go home and pack up just like you said."<br>He raises a shaky hand to my face. "I don't…think that's going…to…happen, lass." He says. "I can already…hear…angels singing." He coughs and a few drops of blood come out but are quickly washed away in the rain. "It's beautiful….just…like you."  
>I bow my head weeping. "Will…please don't leave me! We have plans!"<br>He frowns slightly. "I…I know. But…" he coughs again, spewing more blood. "lass, listen…to me. Take the bag…of…gold in my…dresser."  
>I shake my hear. "I can't!"<br>"Take it…and go far…far away….make a new…life…for your…yourself." He continues. He moves his thumb across my cheek and smiles. "You deserve so…much more. I…I love you, lass."  
>Tears blurred my vision and I closed them. "I love you too.." He coughs a bit more before his hand falls from my face and his unseering eyes gaze up at the falling rain. Buring my face in his chest I weep. How? How could this happen? This route was only know to the Shadow Hunters.<br>I feel a hand on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Eva." I hear Dyota say. Lucia says something and Edric grunts in agreement. I slowly raise my head and look out into the forest. Something didn't add up. I cast a glance over at the man who killed my husband. He moved slightly and my eyes narrow. I gently lie will's head on muddy ground before leaning down. "I will find and kill who ever betrayed us, Will. I'll avenge you." I place a kiss on his lips. "I love you." I whisper before I rise to my feet.  
>I take a deep breath. My clothing is soaked and caked with Will's blood and mud but I feel nothing. Nothing but the fiery hatred burning from deep within me. "Eva?" I hear from behind me. I ignore them as I stride over to the thug who's just coming to. He struggles to sit up and I pick up my sword from the mud, my gaze trained on him. I kick him back down into the mud and he coughs, a pained expression on his face.I keep my boot on his chest and push slightly. He wheezed. "You bastard." I seeth. I point the tip of my blade at the base of his thoat. "Who are you?" I bellow over the sound of rainfall. "Who sent you? This is an exclusive route only known to the Shadow Hunters."<br>He coughed up some blood as he tried to laugh. "What's it matter?" He smirks.  
>I push on his chest with my boot. "Talk."<br>He coughs and wheezes some more so I kick him in the side. His face contorts into a pained expression. "Okay!" He coughed.  
>I eased up slightly. "Who are you?" I demanded.<br>"Nobody important. Just a vagrant from a small village near York."  
>"Who sent you?" I hiss. "Who do you work for?"<br>He coughs and then looking me straight in the eye, he smirks.  
>As soon as he said the name, my knees felt weak and I felt as though I'd get sick. Our Shadow leader, our friend….He sent somebody to kill us!"<br>The thrug started to laugh/ cough before I glared at him. With a cry, I lift up my sword and thrust it down into his heart. He whimpers as he looks up at me. I twist it and he lets out a pained cry before he just lies there in pain. I watch with clenched teeth as he takes his final breath before I pull my sword out.  
>Dazed, I walk over to where my horse trotted over to. I mount and trot over to where Edric, Lucia and Dyota are standing. "Let's head home." I say.<br>"Who the hell sent an ambush?" Dyota asks. "Did you ask him?"  
>I look straight ahead of me and nod. "I did."<br>"Well? Who is the bastard?" Edric fumes.  
>Finally I look down at my Shadow siblings. "Our leader. Delvin Mallory."<p> 


	3. A New Leaf

Quick Shout Out to Graceaga for the reviews and suggestions. I really appreciate it. :)

I won't be able to change over night but I'll slowly try to improve with each chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>They look up at me in astonishment as I ride off ahead of the others hoping to catch the little traitor alone. All because of him, I lost the one person who means the world to me.<p>

As I reach the sanctuary, I quickly dismount and draw my sword. Hot, searing hatred ran through me as I walk down the small stone stairs to the entryway. I look over in the direction of the doorway to Delvin's room and my eyes narrow. I silently advance into the room to find it empty with exception of a few books thrown haphazardly across the room. Probably to make it look like we had been ransacked. Clever Delvin.

I leave his room and cautiously make my way down the larger stone steps leading to the large activity area. Over to the left was the smithing area where we all learned to make our own armor and weapons. Straight ahead next to the small waterfall there are stone steps leading up to a little library that is connected to a hallway of rooms. To the far right is a hallway that leads to the armory, training center, torture chamber, and a spacious kitchen/dining area.

Although it is mostly open, I check behind the little pillars of the smithing area. Like Delvin's room, books, metal and equipment are all over. I move silently, listening to everything around me. Then I hear it. Over in the direction of the armory, I hear a tankard fall with a clank as it hits the stone floor. I leer at the doorway and silently make my way towards it.

I take cover to one side and slowly look in. The armory is lit up brightly and I see somebody's shadow in the doorway. Sticking to the shadows as I've been taught, I get near the doorway. The person seems to be muttering to himself until I hear another voice. Neither of them sounds like Delvin's voice. I strain to listen their hushed tones but am only able to make out some of it.

"What if they come back?" The first one says quietly. The shadow becomes larger as the guy moves further into the room towards the lighted torch.

"I doubt they will." The other one says. "Delvin said they would be dead and if any survived, they'd be too injured to make the trip back." The first one said something in response that I wasn't able to catch making the other one laugh. I clenched my fists.

I scan my environment around me. Not too far from me, I see Lucia's bow and a few arrows. I quickly glance inside the room and smirk as I see the small canister of highly flammable liquid that Edric concocted sitting on the table next to one of the guys. I sheath my sword and carefully inched my way towards the bow and grab it along with the few arrows.

Stepping back into the shadows, I tear a piece of fabric from my torn up tunic and tie it tightly to the end of one of the arrow. I light it with one of the torches nearby and aim at the canister. I take a breath and let the arrow go. It flies through the air and instead of igniting instantly it, the canister falls and crashes to the floor. The liquid spills and I curse under my breath.

"What was that?" The first guy asks.

"You idiot!" The second guy scolds. "You must have bumped into it! Be more careful!"

The first guy mutters something I can't make out and I let out a sigh of relief. Tying another piece of fabric from my tunic, I light it. I move out a little and see one of the guys standing in the liquid. This is too easy. When I shift, I also see he's looking at a sword hanging on the wall. I pull back my arrow and walk into the light. "Find anything you like?" I ask casually.

As soon as they see me they draw their swords. "I'd be careful if I were you." I say with a smirk. The guy standing in the newly spilled liquid advances toward me and I shoot my flaming arrow into the base of the puddle. It ignites and so does he. Screaming he runs around before dropping to the ground, rolling to put himself out. "I warned you." I muse. The other guy takes a step and I instantly draw another arrow and aim in at his head. "Go ahead. I dare you. I'll put an arrow right between your eyes quicker than you can raise your sword to strike me."

Frightened, he slowly lowers it. I grin as I keep my arrow aimed at him. "Good boy."

"Who are you?" He demands.

"That doesn't matter." I reply. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm not telling you." He retorts.

"Fine." I shoot slightly to the left and the arrow just barely grazes his ear and sticks into now empty, wooden weapon display. I grab my last arrow and aim it once more at his head.

"What the-" he exclaims before I cut him off.

"I'd start talking because my next arrow won't miss." I growl. "Now who are you?"

"Isaac…My name is Isaac Fynch." He says fearfully. "I'm a farmer from Elvedon."

"Alright Isaac. Where can I find Delvin?"

"I don't know." He frowns. I pull the string tighter.

"Liar!"

"I'm not lying!" He cries. "All I know is that he was heading towards Bradford."

I loosen up for a moment. "Bradford? What does he want in Bradford?"

The man shrugs. "Something about an old contact. I know nothing else, I swear!"

I stare him down for a moment. I had only been to Bradford once before with William but had forgotten the way since it had been so long ago. The thought of William makes my heart ache and tears threaten to fall. I push those thoughts away. "Do you know where Bradford is? Do you know the way to get there?" I ask.

He nods. "I do."

A long time ago, before I ever joined the shadows, there was an elder named Alwin Deyer who studied how to read a person. He wrote journals on it which I had to read when I was still training. Now I study Isaac for signs that he's lying. Everything from his tone to his body language shows he's telling the truth. I lower my weapon and can see the relief on his face.

"If I asked you to, would you take me to Bradford?" I ask. He looks away to his left which signals thought. As he does this I open a small pouch on my belt and dip the tip of my arrow in it before getting it ready if he decides to attack. I see him glance down at his accomplice who lies still on the ground. Whatever skin is showing is red and starting to blister.

"Is he dead?" He asks carefully.

"Yes." I say impatiently. "And you will be too if you don't answer me."

He slowly nods without taking his eyes off the burnt man. "Good." I nod. I raise my bow and before he can react, I shoot him right above the heart.

As he collapses to the ground, I slowly put my bow off to the side and pull the arrow out before I drag him to one of the vacant rooms. I place him on the bed and look at him for a moment. In the glowing light he looked kind of boyish. Like a teenager just on the brink of becoming a man. His hair is a light brownish blonde color and sticks up near the back. Brown stubble is just starting to grow along his jaw line. I leave the room and lock door from the outside.

Going back to the armory, I grab a quiver of arrows and the bow before checking the rest of the sanctuary just in case. I find nobody and make my way back to the entry to wait for the others.

Before long, they arrive and find me sitting on one of the little stone benches near Delvin's room. They gather around me. "Where's William?" I ask. "Is he still where we left him?"

Edric shakes his head. "No. He's outside. We would have brought him in here but we wanted to give you some time first." Swallowing back the tears that threatened to form, I nod. "Thank you."

"So, did you find the little snake?" Lucia asks.

I shake my head solemnly. "No. There were two men here rifling through the armory. I killed one and the other is unconscious and locked in one of the rooms."

"You kept one of them alive?" Lucia hisses. "Why did you do that?"

"Because he's worth more to me alive than he is dead!" I snap. Lucia glares at me because of my disrespect but at the moment, I could care less. "I'm cold, wet, distraught, and covered in mud and my husband's blood." I say tersely as I look at the ground. "I am in no mood to discuss my actions nor my agenda right now." I look up and meet her gaze which has softened slightly with sympathy. "Now if you'll excuse me… I need to ready my husband for his funeral which will be held tonight."

"I'll help you bring him inside." Edric offers quietly.

"And I'll get everything we need and meet you in the dining hall." Dyota adds. I nod and Lucia turns quickly away and heads down the hallway. I glance once more at her before following Edric outside.

William was brought in by Edric and laid upon the large table. Stripped naked with a sheet covering his lower half, I look down at him and tears prickle my eyes. Dyota was nearby with a bucket of water and a rag to clean him up. The muddy blood soaked clothes we cut off him are lying on the ground off to the side.

"Eva?" Dyota says softly. "Are you alright?"

I nod absently. "Yes…" I hold my hand out for the cloth and she hands it to me. "If you wouldn't mind, I want to be alone for this." I say. Honestly, as much as I appreciate the support, I want to be alone when I finally broke down and let the tears fall freely.

"Of course, Sister. I'll go help Edric with the pyre."

She leaves me and I dip the cloth into the water and ring it out a little before I start to clean him up. It's unusual to see the man I saw only hours ago so full of color and life now pale and stiff. I clean the mud off his face and my lip quivers. I wish he would just open his eyes and sit up like nothing happened but I knew that wasn't possible. He's gone.

I clean him up the best I can and dress him in his best clothes before Dyota helps me silently wrap him a large white winding sheet and Edric helps us carry him outside and place him on the pyre. I have no idea where Lucia is and don't really care. I do hope that she shows up before we light the pyre. Even if she is upset with me for keeping one of the men alive, she should still show William the respect he deserves as her friend.

Luckily, Lucia does show up and places on the pyre, William's leather armor and dagger along with other items and flowers. Before we start, I walk over to the covered body and uncover his face. I just needed to see his face one last time before it's gone forever. "I won't let your death be in vain." I whisper as I run my hand through his hair. "I promise you that Delvin will pay for what he's done." My lip quivers and tears well up in my eyes. I lean closer to him. "I'll see you in the afterlife…" I kiss his forehead, his skin cold and clammy against my lips. I pull away. "I love you, Will." I whisper before I recover his head with the sheet. I take a deep breath before turning to Edric and nod.

We gather around the pyre and Edric lights the torch. He holds it out to me. "Here. Since he was your husband, I think you should lead us."

I nod and take the torch and hold it up. "Before the ancient flame, we grieve."

"We grieve." The other three repeat together.

"At this loss, we weep." I say quickly as my throat tightens with the urge to cry.

"We weep." They repeat.

"For the fallen, we shout." My voice wavers slightly.

"We shout!"

"And for ourselves…" I say.

"We take our leave." We all say together. Finally I light the pyre and stand back as we watch as my husband's body is soon engulfed with flames.

After the funeral, all three of them offer me condolences before starting to head inside the sanctuary. I stay where I am and watch the flames and hear the crackling and popping of the wood. I feel a hand on my shoulder, and look over at Edric. "Come on. You need to get cleaned up and eat. It'll do you some good."

"I'll be right there. I just want a few moments alone first." He gives me a sympathetic look. "Closure."

"Alright. I'll see you in there."

He leaves me there as the sun starts to set and the flames almost match the sky. I sit down on the ground and pull my knees up to my chest and weep.

When I finally was able to pull myself together, the flames were dying. Weak from all the emotions that just poured out of me, I slowly get up. I enter the warm glow within the sanctuary and make my way to the dining hall. Everyone is at the table talking when I walk up. Dyota passes me a wooden bowl with some type of porridge and some bread with a goblet of ale. I look down at it and frown. "I'm not really hungry." I say picking it up.

"Where are you taking it then? To your man?" Lucia comments starkly.

Instantly I draw my sword and put the tip to the base of her throat. She glares at me, unflinching. Dyota and Edric stood up and silently watch, their hands on their own swords just in case.

"Lucia, you're trying my patience!" I yell. Tears threaten to fall but I keep my composure. "We may be Shadow sisters but that doesn't mean I won't hesitate to slice you from your throat to your navel."

"Lucia!" Dyota, always the peacemaker, hisses. "Apologize!"

"Fine. Sorry." She says flatly.

I sheath my sword and turn on my heel taking the food to Isaac.

A I reach the room, I cautiously unlock the door and peer inside. Isaac sits on the bed and I open the door. He looks up at me and moves back slightly. "You! You shot me!"

I casually walk over and set the food down on the bed. "I brought you some food." His eyes stay trained on me. "Why did you shoot me?! I agreed to lead you to Bradford!"

I lean against the small end table and cross my arms over my chest. "Relax, it was a poisoned arrow to-"

"You poisoned me?!" He exclaims.

"Hey! If you'd let me finish…" I snap. "it was just to subdue you temporarily." I look down for a moment. "I needed some time. I had some things to deal with and I needed you out of the way." I look back up and look him straight in the eye. I expected to see some regular old brown eyes but instead they are a dark blue like a stormy sea. I'm slightly taken back and it takes a moment for me to remember what I was saying. "Besides, you're alive aren't you?" I ask. "I could have easily killed you. You should be thankful for my mercy."

He rolls his eyes. "I guess… well thank you. For letting me live and…" He looks down at the plate hungrily. "for the food. I appreciate it."

"Yeah…" I say flatly. "By the way… we're going to leave at first morning's light. Understand?"

He pauses a moment, his mouth full of food and nods. "Good." I say. "Well then… rest up and I'll see you when it's time."

As I leave the room, I turn to see Edric standing next to the door. "What?" I ask.

"Dyota called a meeting. We have a lot to discuss."

"Do we have to do it right now?" I ask. "I have things to do."

"Please?" He says with a smile.

"Fine." I sigh. I follow him to the library and take a seat at the little table. Lucia and Dyota are already there and Dyota motions for Lucia and Edric to take a seat. "I called this meeting for a number of reasons." She starts. "First starts with the final will and testament of our Shadow Brother, William." That got my attention. My head shot up and Dyota handed a paper to Edric. He stood before us and cleared his throat. "I, William Hastings, leave all my possessions including my money, sword and horse to my lovely wife, Eva Hastings." Staring down at the table before me, hear nothing afterwards as the night we spent before replays in my mind. I finally come to near the end where William asks Edric to give me a letter from him. I silently take the envelope from him and just look at it.

"Eva?" Dyota says as she touches my arm. "Are you okay?"

I nod and they continue. "Next, the Shadows have never been without a leader and we aren't about to start now. It's time to select a new leader…"

"I'm leaving." I suddenly say. They all look at me and I raise my head.

"What do you mean?" Edric frowns. "We were actually thinking about making you the new leader."

I shake my head. "No. I don't want it. I don't want this life anymore." My eyes start to water and I continue. "Last night, William promised me that when we came home, we were going leave and start new. We wanted a home of our own… we wanted children…" My voice caught and I looked down. I take a few breaths and continue. "Before he died in my arms, he told me he wanted me to go on and live a better life. I promised him I would make a new life for myself and I'm not going to break that promise."

"So… what's the guy you left alive for?" Lucia asks.

I look at her. "It's for my revenge. He told me that Delvin went to Bradford to meet with a contact. He is going to lead me to Bradford and when I find Delvin… I'm going to kill him and avenge Will."

"So it's personal now?" Lucia sneers. "What about the rest of us? He betrayed all of us!"

I stare daggers at her. "It is personal! Yeah he betrayed us all but now because of him, my husband is dead!" A fear tears fall and I let them. I look at Dyota. "I'm sorry to do that but I have to do it."

There's silence for what seems like forever until Edric speaks. "When are you leaving?" He asks quietly.

"At first morning's light. It's a long journey and I want to make it at least near Blyth before making camp for the night."

Everyone is dead silent for a while and I stand. "If you'll excuse me, I need to start making preparations for my departure. I wait a moment to see if anyone will say anything. When they don't I start making my way towards mine and William's room. Now with Will gone, the room had this empty feeling. I walk over to his dresser and open it. I move my hand over his clothes and swallow back the tears as I move some of them aside. Nothing. No bag of coins as William said. Frowning, I remove all his clothes and from the dresser and search the drawers to still find nothing.

I'm about to give up when I notice how the top drawer has a small hole on the inside near the side. I kneel and look underneath but see no hole and smile. There's a false bottom. Standing, I hook my finger in the little opening and pull it up. Inside the small compartment, there's not one but three bags of coins. I look at them in disbelief, How did he save up so much and keep it from me? Tears welled up again as I remember that this was the money he saved up for life together. I wipe the tears away with the back of my hand and grab the coins. I grab his satchel from pile on the bed and put the money inside and begin to pack.

After I got most of our things packed, I fell asleep on our bed, gripping one of Will's tunics. I wake up close to dawn the next day and start preparing the horses. When I come back inside to fetch Isaac, I'm surprised to find all three of my shadow siblings waiting for me.

"Is everything okay?" I cautiously ask them.

Dyota steps forward. "We had a discussion last night when you were packing." she says. "And we don't care if you don't want to be here and live this lifestyle. You'll always be welcome here and you will always be our shadow sister."

I smile slightly. "Thanks you guys."

"Here." Edric says as he holds out a pack. "We packed you some food, coin, drink and some other stuff." I take it from him and he pulls me into a hug. "We're going to miss you, Eva." he says.

"I'll miss you all too." I say hugging him back. We separate and it's Dyota's turn.

'Always walk in the shadows, Sister." She says.

"You as well." I reply. She lets me go and Lucia steps forward. Her eyes are red and a bit puffy so I know she's been crying.

'I'm so sorry about everything I said last night. I guess losing William made an impact on me as well." I see her bottom lip starts to quiver and I pull her into a hug. "Please forgive me." She whispers.

"I forgive you." I whisper back. "And please forgive me for threatening to kill you."

I surprise myself as I chuckle a little as I said that. We pull away and she chuckles as well, wiping the tears away. "It's alright. We're assassins. It's what we do best."

I nod and quickly turn away before the tears have a chance to fall and stride down the hall to Isaac's room. I quickly knock on the door and wait for a response. The door opens and he peeks out. "Time to go?" He asks. I nod and he opens the door fully. We walk along side each other until we're outside and I motion towards the one on my right. "You can take this one. His name is Shadow. You can ride him until we get to Bradford." He mounts the horse and watch him as his gets settled. "Also if you try to ride off and leave me stranded, you'll get an arrow to the back and a sword through your chest. Understood?"

He looks over at me and nods. "Understood."

"Good. Then-"

I stop mid sentence as Edric suddenly appears by my side. He holds up a sword and I raise an eyebrow. "Will's sword." I silently take it just look at it for a moment. "Be safe, Sister." He says before he turns away and leaves. I put the sword with our other things and look over at Isaac. "Lead the way."


	4. I Want You To Suffer

We ride for hours in silence until the sun is high in the sky. Growing weary in the heat, I start to slow down. Isaac notices my change in speed and does the same. "Everything alright?" He asks.

"Yes. Let's take a quick break. I hear water not to far from here. We'll rest in the shade for a while and eat something then we'll be back on the road.."

Not too long after we come up to a small stream and dismount our horses and hitch them up to a low branch. I kneel by the water and cast a quick glance at Isaac. His eyes are closed as he sits beneath the tree with his back against the trunk. I dip my hand into the cool water and splash some on my face. I allow myself to close my eyes for a brief moment as I enjoy the refreshing coolness on my skin. I dig into my pack and fill two brass canteens and toss one to Isaac. He mutters a thank you and takes a drink. I take a sip of mine as well before digging out a small loaf of bread and a couple apples from the sack Edric handed me. I walk over to Isaac and hand him an apple. "How far do you think we can make it by sun down?" I ask, taking a seat next to him. He accepts the apple and takes a huge bite from it and chews thoughtfully for a moment.

"I believe we're not too far from Ollerton. We should be there within an hour or two." He replies before taking another bite. I wait as he chews for a moment before continuing. "By sundown, I believe we can make it to just outside Worksop."

"Good." I nod. I bite into my apple and set it on my lap as I break the bread in half and hand one half to Isaac. He thanks me and instead of shoving it into his mouth like I expected he just looks at it.

"Can I ask you a question?" He asks. My hand freezes halfway as I'm about to bite into my apple.

"That depends….what does it have to do with?" I ask cautiously.

"Your group." I remain silent and he continues. "This morning I saw only three of your people. Where are the others? Is that all of you?"

I close my eyes for a moment as I think about Delvin and Will. "Why do you want to know?"

Hearing nothing I open my eyes and look at him. Mouth full, he shrugs.

"Tell me." I demand.

He swallows and shrugs again. "I don't know. Would it matter what I hear? After Bradford, you're probably going to kill me anyways. Why not indulge me until then?" He offers me a smile and I look away.

"Right now, it's just them. There used to be more of them but…"

"But what?" He asks. "Did they die? Left like you did?"

I look down at my hands. "They died."

"What happened?" He presses.

I look over at him. "You're very nosey, you know that?" I snap.

He shrugs, "I'm just curious…."

Sighing I look away. "if you must know there was a fire. It was a little before I joined. At the old sanctuary, there was this explosion and then a fire. Everybody except for the three you saw and two others made it out alive. The rest were trapped inside and either burned alive or suffocated."

Isaac shakes his head sympathetically. "That's horrible."

"It is." I reply quietly. "After so many lives were lost, they couldn't stand going back so they moved to an abandoned sanctuary, owned by the once fearsome Dark Order. They cleaned it up and built it to the Shadow Hunter's headquarters you see today."

"Wow." He breathes. We eat in silence for a while until I jump up and dust myself off.

"I think we should start heading back out." I say. "Especially if we want to make it to Worksop by sundown."

Isaac scrambles to his feet and puts his canteen in his small satchel I gave him. We mount our horses and I signal for him to lead. Mid-ride, I trot up along side him and look at him. "It's my turn to indulge my curiosity. Where are you from again?"

"Elvedon."

"I've never heard of it." I say. "I hope for your sake you're not trying to lie to me."

He surprises me by smiling. "You wouldn't. My entire village was burnt down by bandits several years ago. I've been vagrant ever since, taking jobs wherever I can to pay for my next meal."

"You told me you were a farmer." I point out.

"I was before the attack." he looks over at me. "not only did I lose my home and land but I also lost my wife and child." He tells me. "My wife was raped and killed right in front of me while carrying my unborn child."

I quickly looked away at the path ahead of us. "I'm so sorry for your loss." I say quietly. My own grief hits me like a ton of bricks and I feel like I'm going to be sick.

"My wife was a good woman." He says thoughtfully. "We were married for less than a year when it happened."

"And how did you deal with it?" I ask, still looking away.

He shrugs. "For the first few years I tried to drink away my sorrows. I got banned from too many places to count." He lets out a sigh. "My lowest moment was when I was dirty and smelly after not bathing for 2 years and had just gotten thrown out of a bar. I landed face first into the mud and just laid there. It was pouring outside but I didn't care. I was so miserable. I just wanted to die. To be reunited with my wife."

I take a moment to let this all soak in before responding. "What changed?"

"Well, as I laid face first in the mud, getting soaked by the rain, I realized how ashamed my wife would be if she were alive. She was always one to look at the bright side of things." He glances over at me. "It made me realize that I can't spend everyday moping around over what happened. As hard as it is, I have to accept it and use that as a reason to live my life. Live is too short to sit around wallowing in self pity."

As he spoke those words, I realized how right he was. Sure, Will was gone, but that doesn't mean I have to stop living my life. I felt a feeling of longing at the thought of Will but pushed it aside. As much as the loss hurts, I have a mission that needs my full focus.

"May I ask something?" Isaac asks, cutting through my thoughts. I look over at him and wait.

"So...who is Will?" He asks. "The man at the Sancuary handed you a sword and told you it was Will's. Was he your leader or something?"

I look ahead of us at the road and take a deep breath to calm whatever emotions threatened to emerge. "Will was my husband. He was killed just last night before I rode back to the Sancuary to find you and your...friend."

Looking down, he shakes his head. "He wasn't a friend. I barely knew the man." He looks up at the road ahead of us and sighs before turning to look at me. "I'm sorry about your husband but like I said, don't let it get you down so much that you want to end your life. Live your life to the fullest. I'm sure that's what Will would have wanted."

All I'm able to do is nod in response as I try to keep the tears at bay.

As promised, we make it just outside of Worksop as the sun is starting to set. Isaac is about to dismount to start making camp when I stop him. "Wait..."

He stops and waits for a moment. "What is it?"

"Do you hear that?" We stand still and I hear it again, faintly.

"People?" He guesses.

I turn my head so my ear is facing in the direction I heard it the first time and I hear it again. "It's coming from that direction." I motion off to the right. "Let's go."

The closer we get, the louder the voices become. Not to far ahead of us we see the orange glow of a campfire. I turn to look at Isaac and signal for him to be quiet and dismount. He nods and we silently dismount and hitch our horses before quietly walk make our ay towards them. We hide behind a large tree right next to the camp

"You know, I bet that weakling Isaac has gotten killed by now." One man snickers. Isaac's face contorted and he was about to walk into the camp when I stopped him. I shake my head. "Not yet." I whisper. I sneak a peek at one of the guys who's dressed in peasant clothes.

"Not unless Cristian killed him. He was one of the guys sent to loot the Sancuary." He says. He suddenly frowns. "Speaking of which, he should have been back hours ago... You don't think-"

"Of course not!" The first guy, a bulky bald man with a large scar on his cheek says. "Delvin told us before they left that none of the assassins would be alive after the ambush. If anybody actually did survive, they'd be in no shape to make it back to where Cristian and Isaac were at!"

Another guy sitting on a log over by the tents stood up. "Maybe we should send somebody to go back there and see where they are."

"No." The bald guy growls. "Delvin gave us strict orders to stay here while we wait for word of the Hunters demise before meeting up with Giles. And until then..." Suddenly he grins. "We can just enjoy our current accomidations. Isn't that right, my sweets?"

He turns and that's when I see them. Four women sit, gagged and tied to the base of a tree. They look at him in fear. I turn to look at Isaac who's gaze is trained on the women. "Isaac." I whisper but his gaze never wavers from the women.

"Those bastards." he says quietly.

"Isaac, Do you know these people?" His hands are balled up into fists at his sides as he nods. "Do you know who Giles is?"

"No. They never told me anything except what I told you about Delvin going to see a contact in Bradford."

I nod and look back at the guys. "We need to ambush these guys and find out more about this Giles guy."

He nods and I look back over to the bald guy and see that he's kneeled down next to one of the women. He tries to kiss her but she moves her head to the side. "Come on honey...give me some..." He says as he leans with one hand on the trunk and the other creeps up the woman's skirt. I quickly grab my bow and aim at his hand on the trunk. The woman moves against her restrains to try and get away from him. I shoot the arrow and it hits the tree right between his fingers.

"What the hell!" I hear the guy near the tents exclaim. We hear the sound of swords getting unsheathed and I look at Isaac who gives me a confused look. "Get ready." I smirk. "I have an idea."

He unsheathes his sword I gave him in Ollerton and nods.

"Show yourself!" The bald guy roars. "Come out of the shadows you coward!"

"Put your sword away. You're going to act as my prisoner." I whisper.

"Oh, so basically I'm not really acting." He replies.

I glare at him. "Would you rather be dead?"

"Not right now, no."

"Exactly. Now turn around." He does as he's told and I use my dagger to cut a strip off his tunic and tie his hands behind his back. "It's not very tight so you'll be able to get out easily." I whisper. "Now come on." I nudge him forward and to make an entrance, I kick him forward sending him face first into the dirt as I step into the light. All the men look down at Isaac and then quickly look at me, their swords drawn.

"I really hope this isn't the Isaac you were all refering to." I say casually. "As you can see, he's still very much alive." I tap him with my foot and he turns to glare at me. "Well, for now he is." Ignoring him, I stare the guys down.

"Go ahead. Kill him." The one who offered the search party growls. "He's no use to us."

"Oh really?" I chuckle. "Not to long ago you were offering a search party for him."

"Yeah, we needed to get the loot!" He exclaims. "We were going to kill him afterwards anyways!"

"Who the hell are you?" The bald one demands.

I give him a small smile. "That doesn't matter. What does matter is this Giles guy is? Who is he and what does he have to do with Delvin?"

"None of your business you little twat!" He exclaims.

"Ooh. Wrong answer, baldy." In an instand I grab my bow and shoot an arrow in his knee. He falls over in pain and the other two advance towards me. "Now Isaac!"

Isaac breaks his bonds and rises. He wipes the dirt off his face and unsheaths his sword. The other two stop for a moment as he stands ready. They look between us in disbelief and confusion.

"You little traitor!" Baldy yells. He looks over at his men. "What are you waiting for you idiots?! Kill them!"

They charge at us and I quickly switch to my sword. Metal clashes upon metal as our swords collide. We go back and forth until I swing to my left making the sword fly out of his hand. I smirk as he looks around worried. As I advance on him, he walks back until he trips over a pack. He falls back and frantically looks around for his sword when I point my sword at the base of his throat. "I wouldn't try anything if I were you." He looks up at me in terror and I smirk.

I hear somebody let out pained cry and look over at Isaac. He's standing over his guy, pushing the tip of his sword into the man's abdomen. "Isaac!" I call. He looks at me and I feel my arm get pushed away. My sword fall out of my hand as I turn to face my attacker. I see his fist come at me and I quickly grab his hand and twist it behind his back before pressing my dagger against his neck. "Nice try." I say.

Holding his guy down with his foot, Isaac looks over at me. "You okay?" He asks. I nod.

"Grab that rope over there," I say pointing to the rope next to one of the tents with my chin. "Let's tie these assholes up and go from there."

Nodding, he kicks his guy in the side before sheathing his sword and grabbing the rope. We tie the three men together to a tree and Isaac pulls me aside. "What about the women?" He asks. "Should we set them free?"

I glance over at the women and shake my head. "Not yet." He frowns. "We will but I want to question the guys first. Afterwards we can release the women and ask them if they overheard anything." I explain. He nods and we stroll back over to the guys and I grin as I sheath my sword and grab my bow.

"So guys, let's play a little game, shall we?" They glare at me and I continue. "This game is called tell me what I want to know and I won't kill you." I smile and Isaac gives me a look but I ignore him.

"We're not telling you anything." The bald one growls as he spits at me. It lands on my shoe and I glare at him.

"Wrong answer." I shoot an arrow right next to his head. and he cringes while the other two look at me wide eyed.

"You're crazy!" One of them exclaims.

"Come on guys." I chuckle. "I just want some information on Delvin and who Giles is. You tell me and I'll let you go."

Baldy glares at me. "No. We won't talk."

I shrug and shoot another arrow, this time right between his legs just below his private parts. "I'd tell me if I were you..." I say. "My next shot won't miss."

"Fine! Delvin hired us to kill off the Shadow Hunters." The guy on Baldy's right says earning a glare from Baldy.

I get another arrow ready just in case. "And who is Giles? Where were you supposed to meet him?"

"Shut up!" Baldy hisses. I shoot an arrow that just barely scrapes his nose as he looks over at his guy. His eyes widen.

"Shut it, Baldy." I say. "Now talk!"

"We were supposed to meet him at the Silverblood Tavern in Barnsley with news that we wiped out the Shadow Hunters so he can pay us and report back to Delvin." The guy says.

I frown. "So Giles is Delvin's main guy? He knows where Delvin will be?" He nods and I look at Isaac. "I think we got all the information we need, don't you think?"

"I think so." he nods.

I smile at the 3 guys. "Good. We can kill them now."

"What?!" They exclaim at once.

"You told us that you'd let us go if we told you what you wanted to know!" Oone of them exclaimed.

"I lied." I shrug. Baldy started to spew out insults and names and I roll my eyes. Casually I grab an arrow out of my from my quiver and shoot him right in the throat. Blood pours out as he makes choking noises. One of the women scream and the other two men, move against their restraints.

"Who the hell are you?" One of them cry out.

I grab another arrow and aim it for his heart. "Let's just say, you all would have died anyways since you failed to kill off the Shadow Hunters." I let it go and it pierces his heart. I turn to the last guy and smile. "Now, I never like to kill people in a group the way twice so, how would you like to die?"

He tries to look tough but fails horribly. "Sword."

"Sword? No, that's much too merciful for somebody like you." I sneer. "I have a better idea."

putting my bow over my shoulder, I take out my dagger. I move the ropes a little so I have access to his abdomen and lift his tunic. I plunge my dagger right below his sternum. I grin as he cried out in pain. "Oh, did that hurt?" I ask. He says nothing so I slowly pull it down , exposing his innards. The women scream again and look away. He coughs and some blood splatters on my cheek. I lean forward lightly, and sneer, "Now it's time for you to suffer."

Stepping away, I instruct Isaac to loot the camp and bring what we find back to the horses. "what about the women?" He asks.

I look over at them and see most of them are looking at me, terrified. "Just loot and pack. I'll handle the women."

He frowns slightly but walks away to do as he's told. I walk over to the women and can see them pushing themselves back into the trunk to get away from me. "Ladies, you are now free." I say.

"You're a monster!" One of the women say. I look at her and she retreats but quickly recovers.

"I just save you all and yet I'm the monster?" I ask.

"You killed them!" She replies. "You're no better than them."

I look away and take a deep breath. "There's more to this than you see... these men..." Thinking of Will, my breath catches. "It's because of people like this, that my husband is dead." I look up at them. "These," I point at the guys. "Are the real monsters. Not me. You should be thanking me right now."

I pull out my dagger and step towards them. One woman screams and I shush her. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm letting you go." I cut the ropes and they just stand there, unsure of what to do.

"Go ahead. You're free. Go home to your families."

Some thank me and run away joyfully except one. I look at her. "You're fee to go." I say flatly.

"I know but... I wanted to thank you."

"yeah..." I say.

"I heard you say something about the guy, Giles?"

I nod. "Yes. Do you know him?"

She shakes her head. "No, but he came to my father's shop in Worksop. He requested a blade for a client." She explains. "My father is a blacksmith."

"Yeah, I figured as much." I say impatiently. "Have you ever seen him?"

"Yes. He's a little taller than you with brown skin, long, curly black hair and a goatee." She explains.

"Thank you." I say.

Smiling, she nods. "Of course. I'm sorry to hear about your husband." I nod and she says goodbye before disappearing into the woods. Finally, we have a lead.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Graceaga, I hope this explained a little on what happened to the Shadow Hunters and gave you a better look at Eva and Isaac. :) I also explained a few things in a message. Hope you liked it! :) As always, thanks for reading and reviewing!**_


	5. Wanted

_**A/N: Well I finally mention Robin and his gang. It's brief but I hope it does them justice!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

><p>I return to the horses after the woman leaves and find Isaac still packing what he found. Hearing footsteps behind him, he stops what he's doing and draws his sword. He turns around to face me with his sword raised. "Easy." I say putting my hands up. "It's just me."<p>

Relief passes over his face and he lowers and sheaths his sword. "Sorry. You never know who's out to get you at this time of the day in the woods."

"It's fine. Got everything?"

He nods. "We made out pretty well too." He grins. "Couple bags of coins, some food and even a nice bow with a quiver of arrows!"

"Good." I smile. "How good are you with a bow?"

His face reddens slightly. "Well... I never really shot one." I frown and he quickly adds. "But...I'm a real quick learner. You can teach me and I can help hunt and...and...and I help with interrogations!"

"I don't know about that..." I unhitch my horse and start to walk it back to the road. Isaac mimicks and walks his horse as well.

"Come on! What harm can come from it?" I roll my eyes and shake my head. "I'll think about it."

He grumbles in response but remains quiet until we get back to the road. "So what's the plan?" He finally asks.

"We make camp tonight and then in the morning we head into town and pay a little visit to the blacksmith."

He gives me a confused look. "The blacksmith? What for?"

"One of the women stopped to thank me and said that her father, the blacksmith in Worksop made a special order for Giles. I figured we stop in and see what he knows about him."

"I see." He says nothing for an extended period of time before speaking again. "So why didn't we just camp out at the bandits camp? They already had a fire and tents."

I shake my head. "Too risky. There's two much blood from the men and it would attract animals."

"Yeah, that's true..."

We find a spot to set up our little camp and sit down in front of the fire. We eat some of the salted meat that we got from the bandits before putting out the fire and going to sleep.

* * *

><p>We wake up the next morning and pack up our things and get ready to go into town. "So have you worked in Worksop before?" I ask.<p>

He gives me a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"I mean have you done any thievery or killing in town? Are you wanted?" He shakes his head and I nod. "Good."

"Wait... are you?" He asks as I put on my shroud. I grin at him and cover up my nose and mouth. His jaw drops and he looks at me in awe.

"What did you do?" He asks. "How bad is it?"

I smile. "Have you ever been to York?"

"No... not recently. I heard somebody murdered the Prince in front of the entire kingdom!" He crosses his arms over his chest. "Why?"

"Think about it. I'm an ex Shadow Hunter and I'm wanted.."

His eyes widen in realization. "You? You're the one that killed the prince of York?"

I nod. "Yes. Now hurry up and get ready. We don't have all the time in the world. We have a blacksmith to visit."

He was about to argue but kept quiet as I gave him a look to not question me. He quickly puts on his cloak and nods to signal he's ready. We mount our horses and ride into town. Once inside, I keep my eyes looking forward to avoid seeing the couples and children all around me. We leave our horses at the stable, using some of the money we took from the bandits to pay for it. Isaac follows me through the marketplace to the far end where we hear the pounding of metal. Reaching the forge, we see a large man with brown hair streaked with grey hitting a long piece of heated metal with a hammer. As we come near him, I clear my throat. The man stops for a moment and looks up. "Yes? Can I help you?" He asks, wiping some sweat from his forehead.

"I have some questions about a sword you made a while back for a man named Giles." I say. Putting the metal into the forge, he sets his hammer down on his anvil and studies me for a moment.

"And what is your business with this information?" He asks.

"Nothing that would concern you." I reply, tersely. "Now answer the question."

The man straightens and crosses his arms over his chest. "I have no information regarding the person you spoke of."

Getting more annoyed by the moment, I'm about to snap at him when his daughter walks into the room.

"Father, your food is ready." She says, not noticing us.

He looks at her and I see him relax. "Alright, dear, I'll be in there in a moment. I'm dealing with something right now."

She frowns and looks over at me then Isaac. Isaac smiles and waves. "I gave you the answer, now leave before I call the guards." Her father warns.

"Not until you tell us what we want to know!" I snap.

The man steps forward and his daughter holds him back. "It's them!" She hisses. "These are the two I told you about. They saved my life!"

He gives her a confused look. "Are you sure?"

"Yes! I think I'd know my saviors when I see them." She says walking over to us. "Please excuse my father. He can get a bit defensive at times..."

"Obviously." I mutter.

"Please accept our apology and join us for breakfast." She offers us with a smile. "We'll tell you anything you want to know."

I look over at Isaac who is beaming at the woman. "Sounds great!"

"Great! Just follow me." She smiles before walking up the staircase off in the corner.

We sit around their table and the woman sets a few plates of food in front of us. Isaac eyes it hungrily. "So, um, we didn't really catch your name." He says looking up at her.

"My name is Sabine." She says. " And this is my father, Theo."

"Nice to meet you both." Isaac says with a smile. Theo smiles back at him before looking back at me.

"And you as well." He says. "So what's your name?"

"I'm Isaac and this," He says pointing to me. "Is my companion..." He cuts off and looks at me, waiting for me to answer.

"Eva." I reply.

"Nice to meet you, Eva." he nods. "I hope I didn't offend you too badly."

"No. Now your daughter told me that you recently had a request for a man named Giles." I say. "Do you remember what he said about his client?"

He looks away in thought for a moment. "I recall him saying something about the sword being a tribute of some sort..."

My gaze darkens. "Tribute?"

"Yeah. A very sad story. His group who were basically his family were ambushed and killed by bandits while on their way home." Theo explains. I feel my blood start to boil and take a deep breath in attempt to calm myself.

"I see. Did he ever tell you his clients name?"

"Not really but I heard him tell one of his guards about a man named Delvin."

I nod thoughtfully and notice Theo studying me.

"As I said his name you looked at though you've heard the name before. Do you know this Delvin?"

I look over at him. "I do. He's an old friend of mine."

"Oh! In that case, I have a favor to ask of you."

I give him a questioning look. "Okay?"

He glances at his daughter who gives a nod and he continues. "Giles asked me to deliver Delvin's sword in Bradford when it was finished..." He starts to explain. "And you see, I'm not a young man anymore. It's a long trip from here to Bradford and..."

I hold up my hand to stop him. "Since I know Delvin, I take it you want me to take it to Bradford for you?"

"Could you? It'd mean a lot to us." He smiles.

"How long until the sword is ready?"

"I just have the finishing touches to do and then it is done." He says. "So, I'd say by maybe mid day tomorrow."

I pretend to think about this for a moment. "It'd be my pleasure." I grin. "Afterall, I have a little catching up with him to do anyways."

After we eat, I tell Theo we'll come back tomorrow for the sword. Isaac and I go back into town and spend most of our day shopping for food, supplies and some clothes so we look like couriers when we reach Delvin. After we were finished shopping, Isaac starts making his way towards the stables. "Hey!" I call to him. "Where are you going?"

"Stables. Don't we need to go make camp for the night?"

"Not tonight. We'll get a room in the local inn for the night. That way we can just get the sword and leave."

We rent a room at the Sleeping Giant Inn, and since there was only one bed, we decided to take turns. While Isaac sleeps, I decide to start making a plan. Once in Bradford, we'll ask around about Delvin. When we make it inside, I'll present the sword to Delvin but have my face concealed until the perfect moment then I'll reveal myself. I smile at the image of me slicing the little traitor's throat and watching him gasp for breath, As these thoughts played through my head, I slowly started to doze off.

I wake the next morning to an empty room. I quickly look around to see no sign of my bag of gold or Isaac. "That little bastard!" I fume. I jump up from my seat and start to make my way towards the door when it opens. I quickly draw my sword and point it at the base of his throat. His eyes widen. 'Whoa. Is everything alright?" He asks.

"Where were you and where the hell is my gold?" I growl.

He steps aside and walks into the room before setting two trays down on the table. He unties a pouch from his belt and holds it out ahead of him. "Here. I just went to buy us some warm food since we have a long journey. I'm sorry if I freaked you out." He frowns. "I took the whole thing because I didn't know how much it was going to cost." I take the bag and eye him for a moment before sheathing my sword. I place the bag on the table and sigh. "It's okay...I would just like a warning next time."

"Understood." He nods. "I would have wakened you but you looked so relaxed and I didn't want to ruin whatever good dream you must have been having."

"Yeah..." I look away at the food. "Well,Thanks...I guess."

We eat our food and then I go over my plan with Isaac. Before long, it's mid-day and we pack up and leave the inn. I send Isaac to go fetch the horses while I retrieve the sword from Theo. I walk up to the blacksmith shop to find Theo hammering away at some metal. Sensing my presence he stops what he's doing to face me. "Hello Eva." He greets. "Where's Isaac?"

"Fetching the horses from the stable." I reply. "Is the sword ready?"

He nods and hands me a long scabbard wrapped in cloth. I take it from him and mutter a thanks. I'm about to turn away as Isaac shows up with the horses but Theo touches my arm to stop me. I look at him. "May I see your sword?" He asks.

"Why?" I ask cautiously.

"Please?" He smiles.

I hand Delvin's sword to Isaac and slowly unsheath my own and hold it out in front of me. he thanks me as he gently takes it from me and examines it. "My... this is beatifully crafted." he says.

"Thank you." I say. "It was my husband's." I swallow back the emotions that threatened to emerge. "He made it."

"Ah yes. I heard about your husband." He said. He frowns sympathetically. "I've very sorry for your loss." I nod and he continues. "Was he a blacksmith?"

I shake my head. "No. His father was a long time ago and showed him a few things."

"Well his father taught him very well." Theo smiles. He looks along the blade for a moment. "How long has it been since it was last sharpened?"

"I can't recall. Why?"

He looks up at me. "It's starting to become dull. I can sharpen it and any other weapons if you'd like. Free of charge."

"If it's not too much trouble."

He shakes his head. "Of course not. I'd be honored to."

He sharpens mine and Isaac's sword and dagger and then Will's sword.

"Thank you." I say as we put our weapons away. "For all your kindness."

He opens his mouth to say something when we hear Sabine come down the stairs. "Wait!" She says. She runs over to us with a bundle in her hands. She stops next to her father and catches her breath. "Here." She says holding it out to me. I motion to Isaac who takes it."

"What is it?" He asks.

"Food for your travels." She says.

"Thank you." Isaac smiles at her. She smiles back at him before she nudges her father's arm. "The gift." She whispers.

"Ah yes! I almost forgot!"

"Gift?" I ask as Theo walks into a nearby room. "What gift?"

A moment passes before Theo walks out with a recurved bow and quiver of full of arrows. "Yesterday, I saw your quiver of arrows with you." He says. "So as a thank you for saving my daughter's life, I worked on making you a new bow with a quiver full of arrows." He hands them to me and I look at them in awe. "The stave is made of ash and protected by a coating of wax,resin, and fine tallow while the string is made from the strongest and least elastic hemp and soaked in glue to protect it from moisture." Theo explains. "In your quiver there are two types of bodkin tipped arrows. The long ones are for piercing chainmail and the shorter ones are for piercing armor plate."

"Wow...Thank you." I say. "These are amazing."

Theo smiles at this. "It's the least I can do." He looks over at Isaac who is standing their awkwardly. "Don't worry Isaac, I didn't forget you. I made one similar to Eva's set made of hazel just for you."

Isaac beams as Sabine disappears into the litttle room and brings Isaac's out and hands it to him. She stands next to her father and they smile at us. "Thank you both for everything." I say. "You didn't have to make us new weapons or anything like that. They're both amazing and it wouldn't feel right if we didn't give you something in return for your kindness." I signal to Isaac to grab the bag of coins we took from the bandits and he tosses them to me. I take Theo's hand and press the bag in his palm. "Take care." I say. They me and then Isaac and I mount our horses and make our way out of town.

"Well that was nice of them." Isaac smiles. "I can't believe I finally have my own bows and arrows!"

"Yeah it was." I look at him and chuckle. "Those are some fine arrows too but you're not allowed to use them just yet."

"What? Why not?" He frowns.

"Because you don't know how to shoot yet." I point out. "For now, I'll let you practice with my old bow and arrows until you get the hang of it."

"So you're going to train me?" He asks.

I shrug. "Might as well. Wouldn't hurt to have an extra archer as backup when we go against Delvin."

* * *

><p>While Eva and Isaac made their way north, a group of men were on their way back South.<p>

"I'm bored." Alan A Dale frowns. "It's been so _quiet_ lately."

"It hasn't been that bad. I mean we've had a lot more luck up in Barnsdale with hunting than we have in Sherwood lately." Will Scarlet points out. "I know Much has been happy with all the meat we've brought back."

"Yes but it's been days since a fat abbot or lord has stumbled across our paths." Alan complains.

Robin chuckles. "That is true but at least we've helped some poor strangers that came our way. Remember Ana? Little John helped her with her baby!"

Alan grumbles a response and sighs loudly. Suddenly Little John Stops and puts out his Staff to stop the others.

"What?" Robin says, reaching for his bow.

He sniffs at the air. "Do you smell that?"

The others sniff the air and Much wrinkles his nose. "Smells like something died."

"Maybe it's an animal?" Will suggests.

Robin shakes his head. "I don't know... Split up and search for the source of the smell." The man scatter and search around until they hear Little John call. The all rush over to him and gasp at the site. Three men are tied to a tree. One with an arrow through his throat, another shot in the heart and one cut open with his innards hanging out.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Much says. Robin could feel the food he ate earlier coming up but remained quiet.

"I agree with you." Alan says turning away.

"Who would do something like this?" Will asks. "Do you think it was the Sheriff and his men?"

"I don't know." Robin says. "But whoever it was, they are extremely dangerous. We should be cautious from now on. "

* * *

><p>A few hours before dark, I slow my horse and Isaac gives me a questioning look. "Why are we stopping? We can make it at least halfway to Rotherham by sundown."<p>

I dismount and and walk my horse over to a tree and hitch it to a branch. "I know but I figured it'd be better to start teaching you to shoot while it's still daylight."

He manuevers his horse near mine and dismounts. "Oh. I guess that would be a good idea."

While he hitches his horse, I grab my old bow and quiver of arrows from one of my packs. I stand yards from one of the trees and wait as Isaac walks over to me. I hand him the quiver. "Here, put one arm and your head through it so it hangs diagonally across your back."

"Right or left?" He asks.

"That depends. Are you right or left-handed?"

"Right."

"Then on your right." I say. I help him adjust it once it's on then hand him the bow. "Now grasp the bow with your left hand and pull back with your right hand." He holds the bow and looks at me. "Well? Pull the string!"

"But there's no arrow..." He says.

"You need to get used to pulling back on the string first. Feel the pull."

He does as he's told and pulls on it, holds it for a moment then let's go a few times. "Okay. I think I got it. What's next?"

"Now while holding the bow with your left, reach back with your right and grab an arrow."

He reaches back and fumbles for a few moments before finally grasping one. It gets caught on another arrow and falls out. He frowns.

"It's okay." I chuckle. "Now do you see the notch at the bottom of the arrow? Behind the feathers."

He looks. "Yeah, I see it."

"Okay, put the string in the notch." He obeys. "Good, now with your index on top and your middle finger supporting the bottom of the arrow, rest the shaft of the arrow between the bow and the knuckle of your left hand to steady and support it." I come up behind him to check his form. "Good. Now pull the arrow back and hold it."

He attempts this but his arm is down. "Raise your right arm so it is parallel with your shoulder." He readjusts and accidentally lets the arrow go. It glides through the air and hits the tree and falls.

"Sorry!" He exclaims.

"No it's fine. That's going to happen." I encourage. "Try again but this time look at the tip of the arrow to help you aim. Try hitting the tree, right in the middle of the trunk."

He reaches down for arrow he dropped earlier and I kick it aside. "Don't worry about that one. Just focus on grabbing one from your quiver."

He pulls another out and sets it up again. he pulls back the string and aims before letting it go. It flies up and snaps a few twigs and gets caught. "Dammit." He frowns.

"No, that was really good. Now When you aim, take a deep breath to relax you a little and then shoot. Try again."

He sets up and aims once more, this time taking a deep breath then shoots. He hits close to the center and grins.

"Nicely done!" I smile. "You keep practicing and I'll start setting up camp." He nods and continues what he's doing and I get started on the camp.


	6. We Meet Again

_**A/N: **To be honest Graceaga, the Robin Hood and Merry Men in this are probably a combination of the BBC show 'Robin Hood' and my own version. Since I've never written any fanfiction besides WWE, this is kind of uncharted territory for me lol I'm just hoping I don't make any of them look bad. SO, I guess we'll see how this all goes._

_As always, thanks for reading and reviewing! The feedback, definitely helps. :)_

_Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>As days passed, Isaac got better and better at shooting. Whenever we breaked for rest, food, or camp, we set up some targets and sometimes had mini archery competitions. The journey took longer than we anticipated since Isaac caught something and was sick for a few days. He wasn't able to keep anything down and when he was finally better and we could continue, he was weakened and couldn't ride for long. This slowed us down quite a bit but luckily I knew Delvin wasn't going anywhere since he was waiting for his special sword.<p>

Now back to his old self, Isaac bet me two sweet rolls when we get to Huddersfield that he can shoot three apple his horse's back.

"You know, I think we should shoot the apples off something else...for your horse's sake." I chuckle.

He frowns. "You don't think I can do it?"

"After practicing for only a fortnight? No."  
>"Fine." He pouts. "What do you suggest?"<p>

I think about this for a moment before walking over to one of our packs and pulling out a piece of chalk we bought when we were in Rotherham. I walk over to one of the trees and draw two vertical lines above one another. Standing back I look at them and nod.

"What's that?" He asks.

"That, " I say turning to face him. "Is what we're shooting at."

He looking at me skeptically. "Really? Lines? That's your big challenge?"

I smile. "Yep. The idea is you have to shoot three arrows, no more, no less at the top of the line, the middle and the bottom."

"Easy." He shrugs.

"But..." I grin. "The arrow has to be at the _exact _ends and the middle as to be exactly on the line. Not to the sides."

I see a flicker of worry in his eyes before he smirks. "Deal. Am I top line or bottom?"

"Your choice."

He grabs his bow that Theo made him and takes three arrows from his quiver. I figured he was starting first so I stepped aside to watch but he looked at me. "Ladies first." He smirks, giving me a mock bow.

I raise an eyebrow. "Don't make me shoot you." I say with a small smile. "You're the only lady first so..." I dip into a bow of my own. 'Ladies first."

He narrows his eyes at me and frowns. "I'm no woman!"

"Oh really?" I say, amused. "You shoot like one!"

His face reddens slightly. "Do not!"

"Just go." I chuckle.

He grumbles as he sets up his arrow. "Is there a certain distance or spot I need to be in?"

Snapping off a piece of branch near me, I walk over and set it a few feet away from him. "Right behind here."

He steps behind it and gets ready as I step back. He shoots three arrows at the top one. All three of them seem to be on the line. He turns to me, smirking. "Your turn."

He steps aside and I set my arrow up and shoot one after another. Like his, they seem to be on the line. "Nicely done." He nods.

"Thank you." I nod. We walk over to the tree to examine our shots.

"Damn." He frowns.

"Looks like you owe me two sweet rolls." I grin. He pulls his arrows out and puts them back in his quiver. "Aww, come on, Isaac." I chuckle as I pull my own arrows out of the tree. "No need to sulk."

"I'm not sulking. I'm calculating how much two sweet rolls will cost me. You only pay me so much, you know."

"I pay you normal apprentice wages of 20 shillings every other week." I point out. "Even though I shouldn't since you're basically my prisoner."

"You know you love me." He says grinning at me.

"I wouldn't say 'love'." I say as we put our packs on our horses. "More like the brother I never really wanted." I give him a smirk and he frowns.

"Ouch." He says putting a hand over his heart. "That hurts." As we mount our horses, I hear him mutter, "I'd rather be called a prisoner."

* * *

><p>As promised, when we made it to Huddersfield, the town right before Bradford, Isaac bought me two sweet rolls. Seeing as he was close to beating me in the contest, I let him have one. While eating, we walk around and look at the different shops.<p>

"You know," He says, mouth full of sweet roll. "I'd use all my pay to see you have an archery contest against Robin Hood. I think it would be pretty close."

"Who's Robin Hood?" I ask, taking a bite of my roll.

He practically chokes on his roll and looks at me wide-eyed. "You don't know who Robin Hood is?"

"No." I shrug. "Why?"

"He's a famous outlaw who lives in Sherwood Forest!" He exclaims loudly enough for a few merchants to look at us. I nudge him. "Shhh." I hiss.

"I just can't believe you've never heard of him..." Isaac shakes his head. "Your sanctuary is near Sherwood Forest AND I'm sure your wanted posters have graced the same posts from time to time.

"Well you know, when you're wanted, you don't exactly like to be out in the open much." I say.

* * *

><p>With our horses held up at the stables, we decided to bed down at the local Inn and go over the plan.<p>

"Isaac, repeat to me what it is you're supposed to do." I say.

"I am to dress as a servant and use the servant's entrance into the castle." He says.

"Good." I nod. "And once inside?"

"Once inside, I am to locate Delvin and spy on him to learn what I can about why he's in Bradford."

"And what about when Delvin is dead?" I ask.

He thinks for a moment. "When I heard the commotion of Delvin's death, I am to quickly leave the castle through the servant's entrance , get the horses and ride out near the little farm on the outside of Bradford where I'll change clothes and await your arrival."

Smiling, I clasp his shoulder. "You are a fast learner."

"I told you I am." He smiles back. After a moment his smile falters. "Wait, what will you do?"

I sigh. "I will go in through the front, passing myself off as a courier and deliver the sword to Delvin. Before he sends me away, I'll reveal myself and him to the death. Once the guards are aware of my actions, I'll make my way out of the castle and meet up with you."

He nods, taking this all in. "You sighed."

I give him a confused look. "Huh?"

"You sighed before you told me what you were going to do." He frowns. 'What's wrong?"

I look away at the wooden plate on the table ahead of me. "Nothing."

"You don't think you'll make it out of there...do you?" I say nothing and he continues. "Is that why I'm not joining you in the fight? Is that why I'm going away from the fight?"

"Isaac..."I warn. "This is my personal vendetta. There's no need for you die with me because of him."

"Then why have I spent weeks learning how to shoot a bow with accuracy?" He demands, standing up. "What's the point if I'm never going to be your backup?"

I stand as well and get in his face. His gaze never wavers. "In the beginning, I'll admit it was for you to be my backup, but after taking care of you when you were sick..." I pause for a moment before continuing in a softer tone. "After looking after you, I realized having you go into that fight with me, would get us both killed. Do you know why I am as good as I am at killing? Besides my husband, Delvin is one of the people who taught me everything I know. I know how dangerous he is."

"So because you helped me when I was sick, you now think of me almost as a weak child?" He fumes. "I'm far from weak!"

I shake my head. "Isaac... I don't think you're weak. I know a good fighter, but..."

"But what?" He demands.

I purse my lips. "But I've already lost one person I care about because of him." My bottom lips trembles slightly but I steel my emotions. 'I've been covered in my husband's blood as watched him die in my arms." I shake my head. "I don't want your blood on my hands. I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

His expression softens as he looks away.

"Please, stick to the plan." I beg.

He runs a through his hair and sighs. "Fine. I'll stay away from the fight." He says.

"Thank you...You never know, I might actually kill him and come back in one piece." I say, offering him a smile.

"Maybe." He shrugs. "So how long should I wait before heading out on my own?"

I think about this for a moment before replying, "Wait until first morning's light. If I do not return by then, I am dead."

He nods. "We better get some rest then. If we leave as soon as there's light, we should make it into Bradford by mid-day."

* * *

><p>The next morning we dress in our costumes and start making our way to Bradford. Majority of the journey is made in silence until it is broken by Isaac. "You never told me what your life was like before the Shadow Hunters." He says, looking over at me. "Did you have a job? Siblings? What was your life like?" He asks. "Were you a noblewoman?"<p>

I scoff. "Me? Noblewoman?" I shake my head. "Not even close. I was just a young, unmarried peasant. My stepfather was an alcoholic who was cruel man who beat me for unknown reasons and called me foul things." I frown at the memory. "He forced me to clean the house and work to pay for all his mead and ale while he sat around all day."

"That's terrible." He frowns. "What about your mother?"

"She died a year before this happened. The plague." I say. "When the plague swept over the land, I was sent away to a convent to escape it. Most of the convent was wiped out before I had gotten there. I remember asking the few remaining nuns why this was happening and what caused it and they looked me in the eye and said 'God is punishing us for our sins.'" I shake my head. "But I didn't understand it. "What did all those innocent children who died because of the plague do? What sins could they have possibly committed to deserve that?" My expression hardens. "The nuns who did nothing but worship and do God's will. What did they do to deserve dying in agony?"

Isaac remains silent and I continue. "In that moment they told me, I concluded that there is no God. If there was an all merciful God, why is there so much war? So much suffering? Where is the mercy?"

"So, you don't believe in God?" He asks.

"No. Why should I? If there is a God, why am I able to kill freely for money? Why is there war? Sickness? Death? Why isn't this God everyone speaks so highly of not stopping any of it?" I reply.

"What about Heaven? Do you believe that those who leave us watch over us?" He asks. I thought he would be angry with me for not worshipping his God but surprisingly he seems...intrigued.

I shrug. "Not really. I believe our souls leave us when we die but I think we go on living here on earth in spirit. Does that make sense?"

"Slightly." He shrugs.

"I believe that my husband my husband is always with me in spirit. I guess looking after me but not from above..." I sigh. "It's hard to really explain."

"It's okay, I get the basicness of of it." Isaac smiles. "So I take it when you came back home, your mother had passed away and you were left in your stepfather's care?"

"Basically." I nod. "Then one night, Will killed my father and saved me." I smile. "And I became a Shadow Hunter."

"Incredible. So what was your father like before the plague struck?"

"He was a carpenter. A fine one at that." I pause for a moment as a thought struck me.

"What?" Isaac urges, noticing my prolonged silence.

"It just now occurred to me that becoming a drunk was maybe his way of dealing with my mother's death..." I frown. "After all, he was the one that was around her as he died."

"Regardless to his sorrow, he shouldn't have treated his wife's daughter with such unkindness." Isaac frowns. "If my wife would have had the child and happened to die during childbirth, I'd be mournful for the loss of my wife but rejoice that I still have a piece of her alive in my arms, wiggling and crying." He remains silent after this and I stay quiet as well.

* * *

><p>The rest of the journey is made in silence until we are almost to in the square. I look over at him and he meets my glance, I nod to him to signal to stable his horse and get started on his part of the plan. I circle the market area a few times before trotting over to the stables myself. Isaac's horse is already there and he is nowhere to be seen.<p>

Once my horse is secured in the stable, I grab the Delvin's sword and start making my way to the castle. I get to the doors and get stopped by the guards. "Halt! What business have you with the Duke?" One of the two ask.

I have my cloak on to conceal my weapons, with the hood up. I look up at them and smile. "I've been sent by the blacksmith in Worksop to deliver a sword to a Mr. Mallory here in Bradford. I was told he was here visiting his friend the Duke."

"Where's your papers?" The other guard asks. "We were told to look for a certain paper with a seal on it before allowing anyone in."

"Of course!" I say. "One moment."

The night before the sword was finished, Theo wrote out an official statement saying that he wasn't able to personally deliver the sword so he sent a friend of his instead as a courier. I show them the letter with Theo's personal seal and they hand it back to me. "Alright, go on in."

The doors open and I thank them. Once inside I'm met by a man who looks like a servant. "Hello!" He greets. "You're the courier we've been expecting, I presume?"

"That is correct." I nod.

"Very well. Follow me." He says. He leads me through the castle to the great hall where the bane of my life himself sits in a large chair on the back wall, watching a jester. There are guards on either side of him and a few others watching the amusement as well. The servant tells me to wait as he approaches. "My lord." He says. Delvin holds up his hand to make the jester stop and looks at the servant.

"Yes? What is it?" He asks, slightly annoyed. "I'm enjoying myself."

"I apologize sir..." He says bowing his head. "Your courier from Worksop has arrived. She just got here."

"She?" He asks, sitting up straight. The servant nods and Delvin motions him aside. He moves and I keep my head down but look up at him with my eyes. I see Delvin's eyes watch me for a moment before he says. "Bring her here."

The servant nods and scurries over to me and tells me to stand before Delvin. I obey and kneel before him, my face still shadowed by my hood. He asks to see Theo's paper as proof of being the courtier. I hand it to him and wait as he reads it.

"Very well." He says. He dismisses everyone in the room, including guards leaving it to be just the two of us.

"Show me the sword." He says standing up from his seat and walking over to me.

I nod and hold it out to him. He takes it and unsheathes it before examining it. "Beautiful." He says thoughtfully. Sliding it back in the scabbard, he looks at me. "Did the man who made this say anything about it that I may need to know?"

I shake my head.

There's a brief silence that felt like it lasted forever. I had to control the urge to throw back my hood and slice his throat right here and now. My thoughts are cut short as he speaks. "You don't talk much, do you?"

Again, I shake my head. "Why do you not look at me? Are you frighteningly beautiful? Hideous?"

I shake my head. "Then reveal yourself to me, stranger. I would like to look into your eyes as I thank you."

I smirk to myself as I hold onto the sides of my hood. "Very well." I say, flipping it back. I look at him and instantly I am consumed with blinding hatred. "Hello Delvin.. We meet again."

I expect to see anger or shock or both but instead, he smirks. "Hello again, Eva!" He says. "How's William?"

I clench my fists at my sides and clench my jaw. "He's dead." I say through my teeth. "No thanks to you."

"That's a pity..." He says, uncaring. "I always told you love was weakness..

"You bastard!" I exclaim stepping forward. "How could you betray your family? Especially your most loyal friend?"

"Loyal?" He scoffed. "He wanted to run away with you and 'live happily ever after' and leave all of us who have supported him through the years, just because he was 'in love'."

"How did you-"

"How did I what?" He asks. "Know about your little plan to desert the Hunters? Oh Will told me all about it and asked for my blessing." He shrugs. "I told him he'll find out after your mission."

My jaw dropped. He did this because we wanted to leave? A new wave of hatred crashes over me as I draw my sword.

"This ends now." I say. Smirking, he draws his sword from Theo and tosses the scabbard to the side.

"Bring it."

* * *

><p>After leaving the stables, I do as I'm told and go around to the servant entrance. Women and men alike are scrambling around busy with work. I try to sneak out into the hallway when I heavyset woman stops me. "Oi, you!" Cursing under my breath I turn to face her.<p>

"Yes?"

"Where do you think you're goin'?"

"Uh..." I say, trying to think of something to say when she thrusts a tray into my hands.

"Take this to the Duchess's room. Poor dear isn't feeling well." She says. I look down at the food longingly and she slaps the back of my head. "Get to it you stupid boy!"

I step into the hallway and make a face at the door as it closes before I start walking around trying to find the Duchess's quarters. After wandering around aimlessly for a few minutes, I get stopped by a guard. "Where are you going, boy?"

I frown. "Sorry, I'm kind of new. My wife is sick so I'm filling in for her. I need to take this food to the Duchess but have no idea where her room is."

"Go back then turn right. It's the door at the very end of the hall." He says,

"Thank you." I say graciously. I do as he says and come to to the Duchess's door. The two guards on either side see me coming with the tray and open the doors. I nod to them and walk into the luxurious quarters and almost drop the tray as I look around in I look around, I almost drop the tray once more when a woman appears.

"Hello." She says softly. "Is that for the Duchess?"

The woman is no older than I am and like looks almost like a fairy. In my amazement of the richness of the room, I forgot that women like the Duchess would have maids and servants that wait on her at all times. She was dressed like a servant with her hair up in a messy bun. Although she was basically in rags and her hand and face were dirty, she was quite beautiful. "Is it?" She asks again since I haven't replied.

"Is what?" I ask dumbly, snapping out of the daze I was in.

She gives me a small smile. "Is that food for the Duchess?"

I look down and I remember what was going on. "Oh! Yes! yes, it is."

"I'll take it from you." She offers and I hand her the tray. "She's not really ready to eat just quite yet."

"Yes, I heard she was ill." I nod. "Where's the Duke?"

"Hunting." The woman shrugs. "Childbirth can do that to you."

"The Duchess had a child?" I ask. I look over at the bed which is heavy curtained before looking back at her. Frowning, she shakes her head. "The child didn't make it."

"Oh..." I look down for a moment, remembering how I felt that day I watched the bandits killed my wife and child. Overcome with grief, I bow to the woman and leave the quarters and walk around in search of Delvin. I see a group of women walking down one hallway talking about how they upset they were to leave the amusements. As I try to focus on what they're saying, a woman brushes past me and I cast a glance at her. As soon as she passes me, I realize she looks familiar. I turn to follow her and hide behind a wall as she stops to speak to one of the guards.

"Where is Delvin?"I hear her ask. "I need to speak with him." Even her voice has a familiarness to it.

"He doesn't want to be disturbed right now. He's in the Great Hall but sent everyone, including us away as soon as his courier arrived." The guard says. My heart rate quickens. Eva is already with Delvin and most likely has already revealed herself.

Pulling myself away from the wall, I start to walk back to the servants area and obey my orders from Eva. As I walk, I try to figure out who the woman who passed me is. Tall and agile with whitish blonde hair. She seemed so familiar in this unfamiliar environment. I get back to the servants entrance and start walking back to the stables when it hits me. I know where I've seen her before! She was one of the Shadow Hunters!

I sprint back to the area where I stashed my weapons and quickly grab my quiver of arrows, bow and my sword. I quickly change back into my leather armor and dash back to the servants entrance. I run past getting some startled cries and run straight back into the hallway. A guard starts to come my way and I duck behind a wall. I need to get into the Great Hall so I can help Eva. By the looks of it, Delvin isn't the only Shadow Hunter who betrayed her.

I pull an arrow from my quiver and set it up. I take a deep breath and run out. I shoot the arrow at the guard's head and he sinks to the floor. Setting up another arrow, I run down the hallway, taking out guard as I pass. "You'll be pissed at me, but I'm coming to help, Eva." I mutter to myself. I turn down a hallway and see the Hunter again but this time instead of the gown I seen her in before, she's in armor and armed with bow, arrows and a sword like I am. Since she's most likely on her way to the Great Hall, I follow her but stay a good distance to avoid detection. She stops before a door and look around. I duck behind a wall and wait as she walks inside, bow ready.

"Eva!" I call as I charge over to the door. A few feet away, an arm shoots out and clotheslines me. My head strikes the stone floor and I barely see the figures surround me. "Eva..." I mutter and then everything goes black.

* * *

><p>Delvin and I face each other, swords drawn. "I bet you miss William terribly. Good thing you'll be seeing him soon!" He swings at me and I block. We fight back and forth until he swipes to the side and nicks my arm. I pull back a moment before swiping at him. he blocks and swings his leg behind me and I fall back. We cross swords as he stands over me and he leans down, pushing his weight down on my sword. "Didn't we always teach you to never be so eager to strike first?" He smirks.<p>

"Fuck you!" I groan. I kick him back with both my feet and he stumbles back giving me time to get to my feet. I get back into a fighting stance. He smiles and runs at me. Our swords clash against one another over and over. I give him a gash on his cheek and left arm while I have one on my right arm, two on my cheek just below my right eye and split lip when he caught me off guard and punched me in the mouth.

We stare each other down and I spit out some of the blood that has collected in my mouth. "You deserve to die...traitor." I growl.

"I'm not the only traitor in the room." He says back before attacking. We battle back and forth, knocking each other into walls, shredding pictures and curtains with missed swipes. Finally I swipe at him hard from the left, catching him of guard and kick him. He falls back, dropping his sword. He looks at me in surprise and tries to reach for his sword. I stride over to him and kick the sword away and stomp on either hand. I point the tip my sword at his throat and grin evilly.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you." I say, raising my sword with both hands and lining the tip up with his heart.

"Eva!" I heard somebody call. I look up and my blood runs cold.

"Lucia?" I say in disbelief. "What are you..." I trail off and Delvin laughs.

"Surprise!" He says. Before I can react, Lucia shoots and arrow at me right in the middle of my chest. Pain radiates through me and I feel myself grow weak. I fall over to the side, growing weaker by the moment and Delvin quickly gets up.

"It's about time you got here." I hear Delvin say. "I almost died."

"Yeah I can see that." Lucia say. After a few moments, I see her kneel next to me and try to focus on her face as my vision starts to blur.

"Eva." She says in a urgent hushed voice. "Listen to me."

"You bitch." I choke out. "You traitor!"

"Quiet!" She hisses. "Be very still. Move as little as possible."

My hand gropes around for my sword and she holds it down. I try to fight against it but I'm too weak. She reaches into a pouch on her belt and pulls out a small vile. "Here, drink this."

"No, you...witch." I say, knocking it out of her hand. It falls and breaks on the stone floor.

"You fool!" She hisses. "That was-"

She stops as Delvin reappears by her side. "Move. It's my turn."

She obeys and Delvin leans down and smirks. "Looks like I win."

He holds up his sword and looks at it a moment before he presses it into my side. I wince and he chuckles. "See Eva? Now you know how it feels to have a thorn in your side. All." He twists it. "The." Twists. "Time!"

He slicing me in a few other places but by now, I'm so far gone, it feels like a pinch. I blink and see a blurry looking Delvin walking away. He says something and so does Lucia but I hear nothing. They walk away and I see two guards file in as my vision starts to fade. I look up at the ceiling. "I'm so sorry, William. I failed you." I mutter and then everything goes black.


	7. Change of Plans

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. Haven't been feeling very well. The next chapter should be up really soon since I have 3/4 of it done already. Also,glad you loved it, Graceaga. :) Although most of my characters are atheist like myself, I was super nervous about actually having Eva speak about it. Is that why you said it was unrealistic since she actually spoke out about it? Other than that, thanks for reading. I always look forward to your reviews! :)  
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**Enjoy!**

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><p>As I drifted off into unconsciousness, the entire scene replayed over and over in my mind. I had him. His heart was perfectly aligned with the tip of my sword. In one swift movement, Delvin would physically feel my pain. The pain his betrayal brought on just because my husband and I wanted to go far away and live as a real married couple. Now, thanks to yet another betrayal, I am unable to avenge my husband.<p>

As I feel myself start slipping back into consciousness, I become gradually aware of my surroundings. I hear faint whispers nearby that stop when I start to stir. I attempt to open my eyes, in hopes of awaking in the afterlife to see my husband's face. My vision is still blurred as I can barely make out the two figures nearby. The more conscious I become, the more aware I am of the condition my body is in. I feel weighed down and horribly sore all over as if I was killed by something large and heavy had crushed me.

Another figured entered the room and stood near the door with the other two. One of the first two say something before the newest person walks over to where I lay. I grunt as pain radiates through my body when I try to sit up to try and defend myself. I feel them place a hand on my chest near my shoulder. "Take it easy. Try not to move so much." They say in a soft tone. My brow furrows. Why does that voice sound familiar? I look up at the person and blink a few times before the blurriness starts to slowly fade. The first thing I'm able to make out is the brownish blonde hair and boyish features. His face is set in a concerned expression. "Isaac?" I croak. My voice sounds rusty and unfamiliar as if it hasn't been used in a while. "You're dead too?"

He shakes his head. "You're not dead. You were close but luckily they got to you in time."

"Who did?" I ask. "Where are we?"

He opens his mouth to answer but a deeper voice answers from the doorway. "You're back home."

I turn my head and am greeted by a sudden pain which makes me wince. My vision clears after a moment and I see the bulky man with red hair. I give him a confused look. "Edric?" My breathing picks up as I panic. Isaac and Edric are here and I saw Lucia with Delvin not to long ago... "What the hell is going on?"

Isaac leans forward and puts his hand on my arm. "Calm down, Eva. We're back at the Sanctuary in Southwell. You're home."

With all my strength, I force myself to sit up. I cry out from the pain but I can't lie back anymore. Looking down at myself, I notice all the bandages and I look around. The room starts to tilt here and there but I try to stay up. "That makes no sense." I say breathing heavily. "Not too long ago, I was in Bradford which is a long ways from here. How the hell am I suddenly back home?" I pause to breathe. "I was shot by that bitch Lucia and blacked out. I should be dead right now."  
>"Maybe you should rest a little before we explain anything..." Isaac frowns.<p>

"No! I want answers now!" I demand.

Isaac looks back helplessly at Edric who shrugs. He walks into the room and kneels next to my bed. I look at him expectantly. 'Well? Start talking!" I demand. "What happened after I passed out?"

"First of all, Lucia saved your life regardless of what you think." Edric says.

"The bitch shot me!" I exclaim. "If it wasn't for her, Delvin would be dead right now!"

"And so would you.." He shoots back. "Delvin found out you were coming after him. Lucia shot you with a poisoned arrow that slowed your heart so that when Delvin slit your wrists and your neck, you didn't bleed out. It gave Dyota and I time to get to you to bandage you up."

"How?" I demand. "Before I passed out, I was retrieved by guards...and you two were here!"

"We were the guards." He confesses. "We were worried about you so Lucia sent a message to Delvin claiming to want to forge an alliance with him." He frowns. "We were worried about you..." His cheeks suddenly redden. "We kind of followed you and kind of made Isaac here sick to slow you down..." He looks over at Isaac. "Sorry about that."

"That sickness was horrible." Isaac frowns. "But it makes sense."

"Why would you slow me down?" I growl.

Edric rubs the back of his neck, uneasily. "Lucia needed time to get to Delvin to forge the alliance while we were able to disguise ourselves as guards." He shrugs. "We were the guards that took you away so we could bandage you up."

I take a deep breath to control myself before turning my attention to Isaac. "And you... why are you still here? I told you to stay away from the fight and get as far as possible."

Taken by by my sudden shift of attention his eyes widen. He looks at Edric for a moment then back at me. "Honestly I was on my way out until I saw Lucia talking to some guards about needing to speak with Delvin. She looked familiar but thought nothing of it. I saw her again but in different clothes and armed heading to where you were." His gaze dropped for a moment. "I thought you were being set up so I started to run to you to back you up but then..."

"I clotheslined him." Edric says guiltily. "I didn't need him messing up the plan Lucia had."

Isaac's face reddens with embrassment. "My head hit the ground and I was knocked out."

"Not my intention." Edric inputs.

Dyota walks into the room with tray and smiles at me. "Oh good! You're up!"

She walks towards me and I look at Edric. "How did I get here in a few hours though?" I ask.

All three of them exchange glances before Dyota places the tray next to me and sits on the bed. "You've been out for a week." She frowns.

"A week?" I exclaim. "I need to start tracking him again and...and..." My mind starts to race which gives me a headache.

Dyota lays a hand on my leg frowning. "After your little meeting, Delvin left for France."

"Then I'll go to France! Delvin needs to pay for the pain he's caused!" My voice breaks and I look down. Dyota rubs my upper back comfortingly. "I know you miss Will."

"I do..." I nods. "which is why I need to kill Delvin. For Will." I look her in the eye. "Where in France did he go?"

"I don't know..." She says. "Besides, you're in no condition to need to recover from your injuries."

"I'll be fine." I mutter.

"No you won't. Until Lucia returns, I'm in charge. So as the current leader of the Shadow Hunters, I order you to stay here where it's safe and you can gain back your strength,"

With a little bit of effort I straighten and look her in the eye. "Dyota, I love you as a sister but I refuse to be ordered around. I am no longer a Shadow Hunter so you have no authority over me."

"That doesn't matter." Edric replies. "We're just looking out for you. If you want us to, we'll keep you updated on Delvin's activities while you recover. Please stay and take it easy."

Sighing, I look away. 'Fine." I mutter. "I'm a little tired with all this excitement..."

Edric nods and they stand. "Very well. We'll let you rest. You'll feel weak and tire easily for a while but give it time."

I nod and slowly lie back as they leave. _This isn't over Delvin. _I think to myself. _When I'm strong enough again, I'm coming for you and nothing will stand in my way._

_ Two years pass without word on Delvin's activities. Once fully recovered from my injuries, I spent my time training Isaac in becoming an assassin. Although the original plan was to kill him after Bradford, he proved loyal enough to be kept as an apprentice of sorts. It was nice to have a companion aside from my shadow siblings after William died. With the time spent training and, in my case, rehabilitating , we had grown close as if we were siblings separated at birth. _

_ To avoid going stir-crazy once I was back to my old self, Isaac and I were sent out on minor contracts and watched each other's backs. This gave us an opportunity to earn up some more money when we were ready to go and for Isaac to get some training in the field. One night when we were making our way back after fulfilling a contract, we made camp and just laid out under stars near our campfire._

"Can I ask you something?" Isaac asks.

"Of course." I smile at him.

"Would you ever get remarried?" He asks thoughtfully.

"I don't know." I frown. "I doubt it." I look over at him. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. It's been two, almost three years since William's death. You seem...lonely."

"Lonely?" I snort. "That's what I have you for."

"You know what I mean." He chuckles. "Romantically. I'm fine with just being your companion and loyal servant." He smiles at me.

"And to think I was going to kill you." I chuckle as well. "Both of us have loss our loved ones and now it seems over time, I've gained a brother...or servant if you prefer."

He laughs. "Better than prisoner." I laugh and we fall into a comfortable silence before Isaac speaks again. "So what are we going to do when we finally get word about Delvin?"

"I'm not quite sure." I confess. "I guess it all depends on what we hear. If we can at least hear his last whereabouts, we can start there and track him."

"Maybe we can hear something in Papplewick tomorrow." He suggests. "We pass right through there on our way back to the Sanctuary. We can refill on supplies and listen for any news."

"Sounds like a plan." I yawn and stretch for a moment before standing up. "Well, I'm going to retire for the night. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He smiles. "See you in the morning."

Seeing as we weren't in much of a hurry to get back, we spent the morning hunting and caught two plump rabbits. We used up the rest of igredients we had and Isaac made a rabbit stew. We ate and talked about our past targets before packing up the camp. It's about mid-day when we finally make it to Papplewick. The town is lively in celebration in honor of May Day also known as the Festival of Sts. Phillip and Jacob the Apostles. There was jestering, juggling, morris-dancing, horseplay, mock-tourney with hobby-horses, and quintain. we trot past a man putting a cabbage on the door step of a large woman who started to weep. "What the-" I start to say. Isaac raises an eyebrow at me and I motion over to it.

"The custom of placing a cabbage on the doorstep of girls who had behaved imprudently through the year was a more novel method of social control. Regardless of the care they may have undertaken with their flirtations and indescretions, they were surely to be found out on May Day." he explains.

I frown. "That's so rude."

He shrugs. "It's a custom around here. It was a custom where I'm from as well."

I shake my head and speed up a little. We pass a group of children and adults listening to this man telling stories. At one point I hear the name Robin Hood and remember Isaac talking about him being a famous outlaw.

We hitch our horses up at a stable and pay before walking around and watching the festivities and shopping for food. We spend the last of the money we have on some food and supplies needed for the rest of the trip. We start to walk back to the horses when two guards step out from out of nowhere. "Halt!"

We stop right before them. "Yes?" Isaac asks.

"Is that them?" One guard asks another. One of them pulls out two pieces of paper. He looks from us then to them before nodding. "You two are under arrest." The other says reaching for us. I grab his arm and twist it making him cry out before slamming my palm into his elbow before lookig at Isaac. "Run!"

He does as he's told and makes a break for it. I start to fight back, making people scream in the process before more guards come. I get kicked from behind then punched making me fall to the ground. Since that punch made me a little dizzy, I try to get my bearings. As I make it to my feet, my arms are suddenly wrenched behind my back and I am kicked right behind my knees making me kneel. 'Alright, let's go." One of them barks. They both grab my arms and pull me back up to my feet and push me to walk with them. Regardless of my personal troubles at the moment, I couldn't help but wonder about Isaac.

As Eva attacks one of the gurads, she yells for me to go. I quickly nod and sprint away into the crowd. I glance back to see none of them are chasing me and slow to a stop. I debate whether or not to return since there were only two of them when I am grabbed from behind. Struggle as I might, I couldn't get free. "Let go of me!" I fume. "I've done nothing wrong! I am simply a traveler!"

"I don't think so." A man dressed entirely in black steps out in front of me and smirks holding a piece of paper.

"And who are you to say otherwise?" I sneer.

The man glares at me. "Lock this criminal up." He says half heartedly with a nonchalant wave of his hand. I curse at him as I am dragged away towards the still trying to break free, I see my face on a paper next to Eva's and another wanted poster that has been eaten away. Regardless of my situation, I smile to myself. Finally I'm a known outlaw!


	8. King John's Request

_**A/N: No worries on the late review. I've kind of been out of routine with my updating. Sorry about that. I agree with the speaking about not believing in God stuff. I did research before I wrote it and it was possible that atheism existed but, like you said, speaking out about it seems like a stretch. Unfortunately Robin doesn't make a proper appearance this chapter but he will really soon. For now, I hope you like Guy and the sheriff are portrayed! I mainly went off the BBC versions of those two since they're what I kind of envision them being like. Watching three straight seasons can do that to you lol Anyways, Enjoy the newest update!**_

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><p>The guards drag me into a large throne room and drop me face first onto the stone floor. I curse aloud as I struggle with my bonds. "Now, now. Is that any way to treat my guest?" I hear a man's voice say. "Stand her up. I want to take a look at her."<p>

They grab me once more and haul me onto my feet. I glare at the man sitting on the large throne before me and he smiles. "I can't see her face... uncover her head." They remove my shroud and I snarl at them. "Ah! There you are! You're quite a pretty piece, aren't you?" He muses. Stepping forward I attempt to break away from the guards but then kick me behind my legs. I sink to my knees, wincing as my kneecaps make contact with the stone.

"What the hell do you want from me?"I growl. "I have done nothing wrong. Release me!"

The man stands and casually walks over to me. "You look familiar..." He before me he scratches his chin in thought. "Oh! I know! You're one of the famous Shadow Hunters! England's deadliest assassins! Am I right?

I roll my eyes and he continues. "Yes...of course you are. You're a wanted woman." He smirks as he pulls out a piece of paper. "I bet you know exactly what this is, don't you?"He flips it around and sure enough, it's my wanted poster. I quickly look away and he chuckles. He circles around me, taking in what I look like. "If I recall correctly, you murdered a Prince in York..." He stops right ahead of me."Bravo on that by the way. Decapitating him in front of his own people after his wedding was genius."

"Okay, so you know who I am.." I say impatiently. "So? What are you going to do now? Kill me?"

He fakes a shocked expression. "What? No, no. I have way better plans for you, my dear." He smiles.

"I'm retired." I say flatly. "I'm not a Shadow Hunter anymore."

"Oh, I don't care if you're part of the group or now. I am just interested in your skills." He smiles. "You see, I have a little bit of a pest problem that I need you to take care of."

"And why would I help you?" I sneer.

"Ah, that's a wonderful question!" He smiles, clasping his hands together. "You do this for me and I will give you all the gold in one of my treasure rooms, AND..." He walks up to me and tilts my head up to make me look at him. "And you'll have my men and resources at your disposal."

I perk up at the final part of the offer. With his men and resources, I could track down Delvin and use his guards to clear out whatever guards Delvin would have guarding him so that I can take on Delvin; This time with no interferences.

I take a deep breath. "And what exactly is this pest you need eliminated?"

His lips curl into a smile. "I need you to kill Robin Hood."

Ah, yes. The famous outlaw that Isaac keeps talking about.

'Surely you've heard of him?"

"I've heard of him." I shrug. "I just have no idea what he looks like."

"That I can help with." He motions for a guard who steps forward with a piece of paper. He take it and holds the poster up to me. "This is Robin Hood. Now tell me, do you accept my offer?"

I think about this for a moment. "Maybe."

"Wrong answer." He frowns. "Take her to the dungeon so she can think over my offer in peace." Walking back to his throne he waves me off and I am kicked in the stomach before being dragged off. "See you later, my dear!" He calls.

I'm dragged down a long hallway and stone stairway. I hear them unlock the metal door before I'm thrust inside. I hear the lock click once more once I'm inside. As soon at they're gone, I just lie where I am for a moment.

"Eva?"

Hearing Isaac's voice, I lift my head and look over to where it came from. Sure enough, Isaac is looking at me from the cell right next to mine. "Isaac!" I push myself back onto my feet and rush over to the metal grate that separates us. "Isaac! Why are you here? I told you to run!" I frown.

"I did but I stopped since nobody was following me..." he looks down for a moment. "Then I was captured by two guards and some guy dressed all in black."

"It's alright...we'll get out of here."I say. "I just have to accept the King's deal."

Isaac looks up at me with a questioning look. "What deal?"

"I'll be set free, and given all the gold in one of the King's treasure rooms." I say smiling as Isaac's eyes widen. "I'd also have the King's men and resources to my disposal."

"That would help with tracking Delvin!" He exclaims.

"Exactly!" I grin.

'So, what do you have to do to get all this?"

"I have to kill somebody..." I say carefully.

"Who? A peasant?" He presses. "A nobleman?"

"No...Robin Hood." I say. I watch him as he furrows his brow.

"_The_ Robin Hood?"He says softly. I nod at him and take a deep breath. "Wow."

"Should I not do it?" I ask. "I mean I'm sure there's a way out of here..." I grab the bars and try to jiggle them.

"No... Do it."He says. "Do it so we become legends, track down Delvin, kill him, then go back home."

I'm about to respond when we hear somebody enter the dungeon. Quickly, crawling away from the side, I sit in the middle of the cell and hang my head. I listen as the footsteps stop before my cell door.

"The King would like to know if you've made your decision." A guard says. I cast a glance at Isaac who nods.

Lifting my head, I look the guard straight in the eye. "I have."

I hear the click of the lock and he enters my cell. "Don't try anything funny." He mutters as he pulls me into a standing position. I glare at him and he pushes me out of the dungeon towards the stone stairway and stumble slightly. "Watch it." I growl. I climb the stairs and then am pushed once again as we get to the top and I turn to glare at the guard.

He smirks. "Go."

"I'd be careful. I'm trained to kill with weapons or without." I sneer then add. "I don't think you want to see how I'm able to kill with my hands bound, do you?" His smirk disappears and I smile to myself. Obviously, I can't do anything to him right now but luckily he's too stupid to realize walk down the long hallway before stopping before a door. The guard that is escorting me nods to one of the two guarding the door and they open it.

I enter the room and see a man dressed entirely in black with black shoulder length hair talking with the King. Seeing me, the king dismisses the man who stands off to the side.

"So my dear! Have you considered my offer?" He smiles.

I pretend to contemplate this in my head. "Answer him!" The man in black growls.

"Easy Gisbourne.: The king waves him off. "Give her a moment to speak."

I smile to myself thinking '_Good Dog'_ to myself. "That depends..." I say casually. His smile stays in place but I can tell he's annoyed.

"On?"

I look at him. "If I refuse... what will happen?"

"If you refuse my offer, I'll give you a public execution in front of my entire kingdom to show how I captured and killed one of the famous Shadow Hunters."

I nod and pretend to think about this, amused as the Gisborne guy grows more impatient. I move my hands slightly and cringe inwardly as the bindings bite into my wrists.

"Before I give my answer, can you free my hands?"

"Not unless you agree." The king grins.

"Fine." I say. "I accept. Now untie me."

He nods to the guards and they cut the ties. Rubbing my wrists I glare at the guard who cut me free since he purposely nicked me near my thumb on my right hand.

"Oops." He smirks.

"My hands are free now...remember that." I say and he steps back. I turn my attention to the king and straighten.

"I accept but I have some conditions."

"What conditions?" He asks, bored. "You'll already have my men, resources and more than your weight in gold when you kill Hood."

"Yes. I need everything that was confiscated from me. Weapons, food, horses and all."

"Fine." He waves me off. "Gisborne, take her to see the sheriff and give her a run down of all things Robin Hood."

"Yes my Lord." He says walking over to me. "Come with me." He says gruffly before walking out past me towards another door. I follow him and we walk in silence.

"Wow Gisborne, aren't you a charmer." I sarcastically remark earning a glare.

"That's Sir Guy of Gusbourne to you." He growls.

"Guy?"

"_Sir_ Guy." He says.

"Fine." I chuckle. We make it to this large wooden door guarded and stop before it.

"Is the Sheriff inside?" Guy asks the guard.

"Yes."

Guy opens the door and says something before motioning me an older guy with greyish balding hair sitting on a large throne-like chair behind a table looks up at me. "You're the assassin?" He asks skeptically. "You don't look so impressive."

"Oh?" I smirk. I slide Guy's dagger out of his belt and throw it at the Sheriff. It sticks into the backing of the chair a few centimeters from his head. His eyes travel up to it and Guy goes for his dagger and glares at me. "How did you-"

The sheriff looks at me and grins and I see he has a silver tooth. "I like you already."

Guy grabs my arm and is about to demand me to answer him but the Sheriff stops him. "Nevermind that Gisbourne. We have work to do."

"Yeah." I smirk at him. "Down dog."

Gisborne stares daggers at me and I smirk.

"Now, now children." The sheriff says before looking at me. He leans forward with his elbows on the table and presses his fingertips together into a steeple. "So, what is your name?"

"Why do you need to know?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Just answer the question!" Guy growls.

I shush him, making him take a step toward me. I smirk as the Sheriff tells him to back down once more before turning his attention back to me. "I'm just wondering so I know what to call you. I'm sure being called 'assassin' gets old."

Considering this, I suppose he's right. "Besides," he continues. "I need to let the guards know that if they see you, based on your wanted poster, not to haul you away to the dungeons." He grins. "Now, what is your name?"

"My name is Eva." I say.

The sheriff nods approvingly. "Perfect." He stands up from his seat and starts to walk his table before stopping. He walks back to his chair to grab the dagger and then walks over to Gisborne and I. He hands Guy his dagger. "You might want to keep a closer eye on this in the future." He says making Guy sneer. He claps his hands together and smiles at me as he looks me over. "Now that I see you, I think I know exactly how we're going to make this happen."

I give him a questioning look. "What do you mean? I thought I just find this Robin Hood and kill him. He shouldn't be too hard to track down."

The sheriff just stares at me like I'm out of my mind as Guy speaks up. "She's heard of Robin Hood but doesn't really know anything about him." He looks at me and sneers. "We're supposed to fill her in on anything she needs to know."

The sheriff's eyes widen slightly as he leans against his table. "Well, that's a new one...first of all we know that he resides within Sherwood Forest." He explains. "You see, we've tried tracking him before but he moves his camp. Second, he doesn't travel alone. He has an entire gang with him."

"Wonderful." I mutter.

"With your training and expertise, I have no doubt that you'll find him and his gang."The sheriff suddenly grins. "And when you do find them, we need you to find a way to join."He straightens and walks up to me. "We need to you to gain Robin's trust, join his gang and attack him from the inside."

"And just how do you expect me to do all this? Make him fall in love with me?" I ask sarcastically.

He looks at Guy then back at me, smiling. "Perfect!"

"I was kidding." I frown.

"No, that'd be perfect. You get him to fall in love with you and then when he's most vulnerable..."He smacks the table. "You kill him!"

"How do we even know he'll go for me?" I ask. "By the way you talk about him, he seems like he's quite clever. I mean moving camp, traveling in numbers..." I stop for a moment. 'Wait, how many people are in this gang of his?"

He looks at Guy who shrugs. "We aren't quite sure. Whenever we've fought against them, their numbers ranged."

"Changing his number of gang members..." I say to myself. "Clever."

"And if you make him fall in love with you, " The sheriff explains. "You'll be able to know everything..."

I nod. "Alright but I have a request."

"Name it." He nods.

"You have my apprentice locked up. I want him free."

The sheriff looks taken back. "Why?"

"He knows more about Robin than I do and I take him on all my missions. He's my backup." I explain.

"I'm not sure if Robin will let _two_ people join his gang..." He replies.

I smirk. "He will. I'll make sure of it."

He nods. "Alright." He looks at Guy. "Release..."

"Isaac." I input.

He nods. "Release Isaac and bring him here."

Guy is about to object but the sheriff waves him off. "Do it."

Grumbling, he walks away and the sheriff looks at me. "Anything else?"

"Yes. The king has agreed for me to get back everything that has been confiscated. My horses, my food, weapons, everything."

"I'll have everything prepared before you set out."

"I would like to set out tonight, if possible."

"I'm sorry but that is not possible." The sheriff says.

"Why not?" I ask. "The sooner I can set out, the sooner Robin Hood will be dead."

He shrugs. "The king had a room prepared for you so you may rest and leave in the morning."

"What about Isaac?"

"I'll ask for another room to be prepared."

I take a deep breath to calm my growing annoyance before nodding. "Very well."

The door opens up behind me and Guy pushes Isaac in front of eyes meet and I give him a small smile.

"So Eva here tells me you know about Robin Hood." The sheriff says.

Isaac looks at me before nodding. "Yeah. I've heard stories about him and seen his posters in my travels."

"Good." The sheriff nods. "Good... and do you know of his possible whereabouts?"

Isaac shakes his head. "No. All I know is he stays near his birthplace of Locksley. It's a village near Sheffield."

"I know of Loxley." The sheriff waves it off. "Gisborne resides there currently in Locksley Manor. He oversees the taxing of the village and areas around it."

We discuss more about the possible areas of where Robin has made camp before a servant arrives to show us to our rooms. As soon as the servant leaves, I search my room for anything that can possibly be of value. I instantly cease my search when there's a knock on my door. I casually walk over to it and open it. I smile as I see Isaac. I stick my head out and look either way before motioning him inside.

"Wow." Isaac whistles as I shut the door behind him. "I guess it pays to kill people."

I turn to see him looking around the massive room I was given. "Given the plan, I think it's worth it."

"What's the plan?" He asks.

I motion for him to sit down at one of the little tables off to the side and he takes a seat across from me. "Well, first we need to track down Robin and his gang and persuade them to let us join."

He nods thoughtfully. "I think I know how to do that?"

I lean forward. "Really? How?"

"From the stories I've heard about his gang, he usually asks people who are great fighters to join..." He smiles. "And as I told you before, he's a great archer. Challenge him to an archery contest. He can't refuse an opportunity to show off his skills."

"You really think that'll work?"

"I know it will." He says confidently.

I sit back and nod. "Good... that at least takes care of that. Now the other part..."

"The killing him part?" Isaac asks.

I shake my head. "No. The seducing part." He gives me a confused look and I continue. "After we join the gang, I'm supposed to make Robin fall in love with me, then when he's most vulnerable, kill him."

"You? Seduce?" Isaac snorts. "Yeah, I can't see you doing it."

"Why not?" I snap. "I'm charming!"

"Don't get me wrong, you're beautiful..." Isaac chuckles.

"But?"

"But...you're kind of..." He pauses for a moment before sighing. "You're more of a killer than a lover."

I frown. Although I should take that as a compliment, given that I'm an assassin, I was kind of offended. "I can be a lover..."

He opens his mouth to say something when there's a knock on my door. "Who is it?" I call.

There's no answer so I assume they left. Suddenly the door starts opening. Isaac's eyes widen and I tell him to hide. He looks around frantically before dodging behind one of the large curtains. I quickly turn my attention to the door as Guy appears with a tray.

"Didn't anyone teach you to actually answer a door instead of yelling?" He growls as he lays the tray on the table.

"Didn't anybody teach you some manners to knock before entering a woman's room?" I snap back.

"I came to bring you your food." He sneers. "Besides, you're hardly what I'd consider a lady."

I'm about to retort when I realize this is my opportunity to show Isaac I can seduce somebody. I hang my head for a moment. "I know I may not seem very lady-like Guy..." I say before looking up at him through my lashes. "I apologize, _Sir _Guy..."I say with a smile. "But If you really got to know me..."

"No thank you." He scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Listen..." I step towards him and gently place my hand on his arm. "We got off on the wrong foot..."

His eyes travel down to my hand then back at me. "What do you mean? What are you doing?"

"Well..." I say with a sweet smile. "I _was_ treated horribly by the guards... " I tilt my head to the side and move my hand up his arm. "I shouldn't have treated you so poorly, no matter what happened to me."

"No...You shouldn't have." He agrees, watching my hand.

"I guess in a way, I was intimidated when I first saw you..."

His eyes meet mine. "Intimidated?"

"Mhm..." I nod. "I mean, you looked to strong...and powerful."

He remains silent but I hear him take a deep breath. I walk my fingers over his chest. "Maybe there's a way I can make it up to you..."I say. He moves and grabs my wrist looking at me fiercely. Startled, by such a bold action I gasp.

"Sir Guy... If I said anything..." I start to say, but trail off as he pulls me closer. With his free hand he brushes some hair away from my face and lightly touches my cheek. His eyes fall upon mine and I see...tenderness.

"I think we can possibly come to an agreement..." He says. He looks at me and then slowly leans in. Frantically I try to think of a way to avoid actually kissing him. I suddenly cough and he pulls away. "What's wrong?" He asks.

I hold up a finger to give me a moment and cough again. I point to the tray to the goblet and he hands it to me. I take a sip and swallow, knowing he's watching me. "Thank you." I say.

"You're welcome." He says, standing near me. For fear of him trying to kiss me once more, I turn away yawning. "Thank you Sir Guy... for the food. I appreciate you bringing it to me, personally." I smile.

"It was nothing..." He says gruffly.

"Well, I am tired from all the days activities... I think I'll eat and turn in for the night..."

Straightening, he nods. 'Very well... I'll be back in the morning to make sure everything is prepared for you."

"Thank you." I smile. "Goodnight, Sir Guy."

"Goodnight, Eva." He mutters. He stands in the same place for a moment, probably trying to figure out what just happened before nodding with another muttered 'Good Night' and walking away. I close the door behind him. 'He's gone." I tell Isaac.

Isaac walks out from behind the curtain clapping with a huge grin on his face. "Nicely done. I guess you proved me wrong."

I give him a mock curtsey and chuckle. "Thank you. I told you I could do it."

"You did." He chuckles. "Only I don't think Robin will be as easily won over."

I frown. "What do you mean?"

"Well from the tales I've heard... I believe he's married." Isaac says.

I mouth suddenly becomes dry. "What?"

"Yeah. There's tales of him and this woman..." He thinks for a moment. "Lady Marion, I believe."

Slumping into one of the chairs, I put my face in my hands. "Fantastic." I mutter.

I feel him put a hand on my shoulder. "You never know if it's true though. As I said, they're stories." He says reassuringly. "Some woman named Marion who admires Robin could have easily made up the story."

"I guess." I say miserably.

"Either way, let's just focus on getting into the gang and go from there."

Raising my head, I nod. "You're right. One step at a time."

Agreeing to speak again in the morning, Isaac wishes me good night and heads back to his room. As soon as he's gone, I sit before my food and sigh. What have I gotten myself into?


	9. A New Lead

Early the next morning, I wake up to find a serving woman setting down a tray of food on the little her back towards me, she checks each dish and pours some wine into the goblet. I silently slip from the bed and stalk over near the woman to see what she's doing. I'm able to get close enough to hear her humming quietly to herself.

"Who are you?" I finally say, making her jump. Wine spills onto the table and she glances at it then at me, unsure of what to do first. I watch her with a lazy expression, noticing how young she is. She's a delicate little thing who stands a few inches smaller than me. I watch her visibly swallow before glancing back at the spill. "Well?" I ask. "Who are you?"

"I-I'm...uh...Auice." She does an awkward curtsey and I give her a small smile. "I was sent to wait on you."

I nod. "It's nice to meet you Auice. I'm Eva."

Smiling, she dips into another curtsy. "It's a pleasure to meet you Lady Eva."

"No need for the Lady. Just Eva."

"As you wish." She nods. She looks over at the spilled wine and her cheeks redden. "Oh... I am so sorry!" She excuses herself and rushes from the room. I chuckle to myself as I pick pieces of fish and bread to nibble on while I wait. Before long, Auice returns with a bucket of water and a rag and cleans up the spilled wine, muttering apologies nonstop.

"It's okay. Spills happen." I shrug, putting another piece of fish in my mouth. As soon as the wine is cleaned up and my goblet refilled, she straightens and looks at me. "Is there anything else I can get you, Eva?"

Seeing as I'm an honored guest, I think about how I can use these accomidations to my advantage. "A bath would be nice..."

"I'll have a bathtub sent up immediately and have them heat up some water." She nods. "Will that be all?"

"Is Isaac awake yet?" I ask. She gives me a confused look. "My companion." I smile.

"Oh! Yes he is. He's in his room bathing, I believe."

I smile. "Of course he is..."

She starts to pick up some of my clothes I took off before bed and I frown. "Hey... what are you doing?"

"While you bathe, I was going to have your clothing washed and ready for you. "

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Oh...thank you."

She nods. "Will that be all?"

"For now. Thank you."

She curtsies once more and leaves with my clothing. After a while a large wooden tub with a cannopy is brought into the room and set down before servants starts to enter with buckets of steaming water. As the tub is being filled, I walk over to one of the large windows and look down at the castle courtyard.

Outside, I see guards everywhere along with our horses and bags. Standing next to my horse is none other than Guy talking to one of the guards. He must have sensed he was being watched since he looks up at my window. Instantly I move off to the side so he can't see me but I can still see him. He watches my window for a moment before turning his attention back to the guard.

Finally my bath is ready and I dismiss the servants who filled it. As soon as they're gone, I grab the soap, strip off my underclothes and sink into the welcoming lavender scented water. Leaning my head back, I close my eyes.

Hearing a knock on the door, I open my eyes. "Come in." I call, closing the curtain for some privacy. I leave it open just enough to see out. Seeing Auice, I reopen the curtain. In her arms I see neatly folded clothes and raise an eyebrow. "My clothes are clean already?"

She shakes her head. "No, the King ordered for you and your companion to both get new clothes since your other ones were tattered."

"I see..." I watch as she sets them one of the small tables before curtesying.

"If you need anything, I shall be waiting just outside." She says before leaving me. I glance once more at the clothes on the table before shrugging and leaning my head back.

Once I'm finished bathing, I grab one of the linen towels nearby and wrap it around me just as the door opens.

"Eva! I wanted to come tell you..." Isaac says before seeing me.

"Do you mind?" I ask. wrapping my arms around my body to cover up.

He quickly puts a hand over his eyes and looks away. "Um... first of all, my apologies. I figured you were just eating..."

"That's why you knock." I retort.

"Yeah... sorry about that." He frowns. "But I came to tell you that I'll see you out in the courtyard. The king and sheriff would like to speak with us before we set out."

I roll my eyes even though I know he can't see it. "Fine." I sigh. "See you out there."

Putting his hand down, he keeps his eyes closed and nods. "See you out there." He turns on his heel and smacks right into the door. I wince hearing the sound as his head makes contact to the wood. I hear him curse under his breath as he rubs his head while walking out the door. He shuts it behind him and I quickly dry off and put on my new clothes. Similar to my old clothes, I had breeches, a tunic, cloak, boots, shroud, and a belt. The only difference from my older clothes is that, unlike the older ones, these were black and brown while they others were just plain black.

After I finish dressing, I braid my hair so it'll be out of my face while riding. I then quickly eat my now cold food before putting on my cloak and leaving the room. As promised, Auice is waiting just outside the door when I emerge. Seeing me , she straightens. "Is there anything I can get you?"

I look down either side of the hallway and frown. "This place is a maze..." I say before looking at her. "How do I get to the courtyard?"

"I'll take you there." She smiles. "Follow me."

I follow Auice out into the courtyard where I see Isaac near the forge talking to the blacksmith. After she leaves me, I see Guy who looks up at my window again. Frowning, I silently slip past him and make a beeline for Isaac. As I reach him, I lay a hand on his shoulder. "How's everything going?" Iask, looking between him and the blacksmith.

Isaac glances over at me and grins. "Hey. It's nice to see you fully dressed." He teases making my face redden.

"That's why you knock before entering somebody's room." I reply hotly. He opens his mouth to say something back but seeing my expression, drops it.

"Everything is going well. I'm just getting our weapons sharpened before we leave."

"Good." I nod. "I'll leave you to it then. I'm going to go check on our horses to make sure everything is ready for our departure."

"Sounds good." He nods. "I'll come get you when the king needs us."

I'm checking on our bags and horses at the stables when I'm joined by Sir Guy. He stands near me and I pretend to not notice him. He clears his throat and I roll my eyes before turning to face him, a smile plastered on my face. "Oh! Hello Sir Guy."

He looks at me and gives me a small bow. "Hello Lady Eva."

I suppress the urge to roll my eyes, but instead give him a small smile. "Lady Eva?" I say playfully. "I thought you don't see me as a lady?"

He sighs and looks around uncomfortably. "I know... It's just..." He trails off before firmly grabbing my hand. "Come with me for a moment." He says gruffly, pulling me to an empty stall over in the back. Once slightly hidden from prying eyes of the stable boys, he reluctantly releases my hand and turns to face me. He draws a deep breath and runs a hand through his dark hair. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior last night." He says carefully. He takes my hand again, and looks into my eyes. "You are a lady and I had no right to say otherwise... I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me, Eva."

Seeing an opportunity to practice my charm, I look away shyly.

"There's nothing to forgive, Sir Guy." I say. I look up at him through my lashes. "I was the one who couldn't hold her tongue."

He raises his other gloved hand up to tilt my chin upwards to look at him. "I forgive you for that." He says. I try to resist the urge to smirk. This was way too easy. With just a few words and shy looks, I have him wrapped around my finger!

His hand under my chin moves to caress my cheek. He steps slightly closer and I put a hand on his arm.

"You look very beautiful today..." He says with a small smile. He looks down at my clothes. "Are they new?"

I nod. "Yes. The king ordered that Isaac and I to get new clothing since our others looked tattered."

"They look very nice on you."

I look away shyly. "Thank you."

He bows his head. "I'm glad we've come to an understanding but..." He lifts his head and looks at my hand which is still clasped inside his own gloved hand. "I wish we were able to spend more time together so we can understand each other even better..." He smiles. "I'm very interested in getting to know you."

"As am I Guy..." I frown. "My apologies, _Sir _Guy."

He looks over at my hand he's holding and moves it so it's flat and presses his against it. "No need to apologize."

I smile and drop my hand from his arm to step around him but leaning too I lose my balance and fall back onto a pile of hay. Guy tries to catch me, but ended up toppling on top of me. His face is near mine as he apologizes and rolls over to lie next to me. His arm is still around me, and he looks at me before smiling to grab a piece of hay from my hair.

Internally I am beyond annoyed with falling and getting dirty after literally _just_ taking a bath and also for having his body fall on top of me but I pretend to laugh it off. "Oh dear... I am so clumsy!" I smile.

His face is close to mine, and after a moment of silence, he attempts to lean in. I put a hand on his chest to stop him. "Not right now..." I frown. "I really need to get back to checking on the horses and supplies before the king needs to see me."

He frowns but nods. "Of course."

He quickly scrambles to his feet and holds out a hand to help me up. I accept it and he pulls me to my feet. We dust ourselves off and he straightens and fixes his clothing. He clears his throat and motions in the direction of our horses. "Shall we?" He asks gruffly. He holds out his arm and I accept it.

As we walk back towards the horses, Guy remains quiet which suits me just fine. Walking in the direction of the horses I see a head of short brownish-blonde hair and instantly inwardly groan.

"...So, as you'll see Lady Eva, the preparations for your journey have been made." Guy suddenly decides to say as we get closer to my companion. Isaac looks up and seeing us together smirks.

"Hey!" He greets us. "Where were you two? I've been looking for you."

"Sir Guy, here, was just showing me the preparations for our mission." I answer. "I take it the king wants to see us?"

Isaac looks between Guy and I. "I see." He says in an amused tone. His eyes meet mine. "And yes, he wants to see us."

I nod and release Guys arm and nod to him. "If you'll excuse me then, Sir Guy."

He nods. "Of course."

I leave him and follow Isaac, who chuckles. "What?" I ask sternly.

He glances at me. "So what really happened?"

"I told you..."

"Uh huh...then why do you have hay on your back and in your braid?" He looks at me knowly. "Somebody's been turning on the charm."

I try to act angry at this but crack a smile. "Okay, okay. I was talking to Guy in the back of the stables and tried to step around him, lost my balance and fell on a pile of hay..." I bit my lip. "Then Guy tried to catch me and fell on top of me."

He laughs and I turn to face him, letting out a chuckle. "It's not funny! It was beyond uncomfortable! Besides..." I turn awway from him. "How do you know I tried to charm him?"

Isaac shrugs. "Just the way he gets all doe-eyed when he looks at you." He says slyly.

"Doe-eyed?" I scoff.

"Yeah. Like this." He gives me a admiring stare and I playfully hit his arm making him laugh.

"You're ridiculous." I laugh, even though he's right. "But if I can just get Robin Hood to look at me like that..." I trail off before frowning as I remember what Isaac said about him possibly being married. He must have read my mind since he puts a hand on my shoulder. "Remember... one thing at a time."

I nod. "I know."

He suddenly stops me and I give him a questioning look. 'We need to get this hay off you before seeing the king." He replyings, brushing the hay off my back. He then picks the pieces from my hair before nodding. "There, now you don't look like a milk maid." He jests with a smile.

"Thanks." I chuckle.

Both the king and the sheriff are sitting in front of the doors to the castle when we arrive. They're talking of something but all their chatter ceases as the king sees us. We both kneel before him and he smiles at us. "Ah! There they are!" King John exclaims, straightening on his throne. "The sheriff was just telling me of the plan." He gives me a huge grin as his eyes look me over. "Yes... I think you're perfect. With your charm and beauty, he should be easy to seduce."

I smirk. "Thank you, my lord."

"Are those the clothes I had sent to you?" He asks, looking first at me then at Isaac.

"Yes." I nod.

He nods thoughtfully. "They look wonderful on you..." He cocks his head to the side for a moment before signaling the sheriff who leans in. "Yes, my King?"

"Do you think she should look more lady like?" The king asks. "Should she wear a gown to avoid suspicion?"

The sheriff shrugs and I say, " If you don't mind me say, My King, wouldn't wearing a dress set off their suspicions? I mean, afterall, if I'm to join their gang, a dress would make me seem...weak."

"You don't know that." The sheriff inputs.

"I don't but Isaac here has heard stories of how he usually recruits people who are good fighters." I say. "How can I show what sort of fighter I am if I'm in a dress?"

"She has a point." King John says to the sheriff before turning to me. "What if near his camp, I send my guards to arrest you for, oh I don't know, theft? Robin Hood can swoop in, and save the day and..." He suddenly stops as the sheriff taps his shoulder."What?" He asks crossly.

"My lord, we have no idea where Hood's camp is exactly... he keeps moving it."

The king purses his lips for a moment. "I see..."

"Besides, with all due respect, I don't do the whole 'damsel in distress' thing." I say. "It's not my style and, again, it wouldn't look good if I have to be rescued all the time."

"True." The sheriff agrees. "It would make her look weak, which is not good if what..." He narrows his eyes at Isaac for a moment.

"Issac." Issac says.

"Ah, yes. If what Issac has heard is true, needing to be saved wouldn't look good."

"Then how will this work?" King John complains.

"Leave that to us, my lord." I smirk. "We _are_ experts at this sort of thing."

"Very well." He waves me off. "And I assume Guy has given you the chalk?"

I give him a confused look. "Chalk? What chalk?"

"Can nobody do anything right around here?" He fumes. "Doesn't anybody around here love me?"

"We all do, my lord." Sheriff says reassuringly, even though he looks annoyed. He looks around before, frowning. He signals a guard over. "Tell Gisborne to come here, immediately." He demands.

The guard nods and walks away as the sheriff continues to calm the king. Gisborne emerges moments later with bits of hay still in his hair. I quickly look down as my cheeks redden and I hear Isaac attempt to stifle his laughter.

"You sent for me, my lord?" Guy asks gruffly.

"Yes!" John says irritaibly.

"Gisborne," The sheriff starts to say before seeing the hay. "Why do you have hay in your hair?" He hisses.

My head is still down but I feel him glance at me before running his hands through his dark hair. "I was tripped by one of the stupid stable boys." He lies. "I fell into one of the piles of hay and I thought I got it all off.."

"That doesn't matter!" John fumes. "Where is the chalk I specifically told you to give to the assassins?"

"The chalk?" He asks. He suddenly realizes what he's talking about and reaches into one of his pockets. "My apologies, my king..." He hands me a chunk of chalk.

"Finally." John frowns. "Since this nitwit forgot to actually give you the chalk, I assume you weren't told what it was for?"

Guy hangs his head and I can't help but pity him a little.

"No, my lord." I say. "We haven't."

King John glares at Gisborne before turning his attention to us. "Well since Gisborne is incapable to carry out the simplest of tasks, I'll have to tell you myself!"

Gisborne raises his head to object but the king raises a hand to silence remians quiet and hangs his head once more like a scorned child.

"Gisborne and his guards patrol Nottingham village and areas around it daily." John explains. " So when you have information for us, I'll need you to go into one of the villages and use the chalk to make a symbol somewhere. They'll keep an eye out and at night, you'll sneak out to meet Guy near the nearest blacksmith."

Both Isaac and I nod and he dismisses us with a wave of his hand. As Gisborne stays to be scorned by the sheriff, Isaac and I start making our way to the stables.

"That was interesting." Isaac chuckles. "I don't think I've ever seen a man look so beaten."

"Me either." I agree. We reach our horses and check our supplies one last time before mounting. Together we trot over to the gates and wait as it's risen. Once out in the open air, I allow myself to take a deep breath of the fresh air and smile.

"It's great to be out in the open again."

"You didn't like being pampered in a castle?" Isaac teases.

"Not particulairly." I grin. "I don't like feeling caged in by stone walls and gates."

"The sancuary has stone walls." He points out.

"True..." I laugh. "Okay, I don't like being caged up by unfamiliar stone walls and gates. Better?"

"Yes." He smiles.

We ride in silence through forest for a while before I slow to a stop. Isaac stops as well and looks at me. "What's wrong?"

"I think we should break and form some sort of plan." I suggest. "We need to narrow down the places he could possibly have his camp or at least places where he robs nobles."

We dismount and walk our horses off to the side and he says, "Well I know of the main roads that he watches but... we can also disguise ourselves as simple peasants and ask around about some drop offs I've heard about."

I frown. "Drop-offs?"

"Yeah." He nods. "He has these drop off points that people go to and he gives them food and money."

"Wow. Sounds like a real saint." I say thoughtfully.

Isaac looks troubled. "Yeah, he is."

We hitch our horses and sit down on the lush green grass to discuss our plan.

By the time we finally had a plan figured out, it was about mid-day and the sun was high in the sky. We decided to set up camp early so that one of us could ride into the closest village of Papplewick and try to see if we can find the whereabouts of Robin Hood. Isaac cooked some meat we got from the king's kitchen and cooked it on the little spit while we argued about who should go to Papplewick.

"I should do it since I have an idea what to ask." He says. "I'm the one who has actually heard of him, remember?"

"Yes, but if anything happened, I'd be more prepared to handle it. Also I'm trained to sneak around in the shadows. I'd be able to sneak in and out of houses unnoticed and overhear conversations." I say taking a bite of bread. "You'd be too clumsy. I'm more agile."

"But you'd be there during the day where there are little to no shadows." He points out. He pauses a moment before grinning at me. "I'm also a lot friendlier to people. You'd scare them off."

"I'm not hostile!" I exclaim. "I'm cautious. You never know what a person is really thinking." He shakes his head chuckling and I let out a sigh. "Even if you do go, what would I do here the entire time?"

He shrugs. "Relax?"

I give him an incredulous look. "You should know by now I never relax."

"I don't know." He says wearily. "Hunt nearby?"

"Fine. You can go..." I sigh. "But you better come back before nightfall."

"Yes Mother." He chuckles.

I glare at him but say nothing. Once our meat is cooked, we eat in a comfortable silence then Isaac gets ready. He pulls on a ragged tunic over his newer clothes and I raise an eyebrow. "Are those your old clothes?"

He nods. "Yeah. I asked to keep mine."

"Lucky you." I frown. "I never got that option."

He switches out his cloak for his older worn one and hands his new one, and his bags to me. He swings himself up onto his horse and puts up his hood. "I should be back by sundown." He says.

I let out a sigh as I watch him ride off and look around. "Now what?"

* * *

><p>It's way past sundown when I hear the sound of hoofs on the dirt road. I look up from the piece of wood I'm carving and rest it on my lap. I'm sitting up in a nearby tree so I can see out and watch our camp but stay concealed just in case bandits find the camp and decide to do some plundering. As the sound gets closer, I slide my knife back into my belt and grab my bow which is hanging on a nearby branch. It's dark on the road with exception of the small section that is illuminated by the soft glow of the fire.<p>

The rider slows near the camp and I hear them dismount. The footsteps get closer and closer until the tall figure steps into the light. His brow furrowed he looks around. "Eva?"

"About time you show up, brother." I say.

He looks around. "Where are you?"

Smiling to myself, I wait until he's turned away from me and silently climb down from my perch. Bow in hand, I silently walk up behind him. "I'm here." I say, calmly.

He whirls around to face me and smiles. In the glow of the fire I see his eyes light up. "Where were you at? I couldn't see you."

"The shadows." I shrug, sitting down near the fire. "So, learn anything?"

Nodding, he sits down beside me and hands me a small bundle.

"What's this?" I ask, taking it from him.

"I know you really wanted to go instead of me to Papplewick so, I brought you back something." He says.

I open the little bundle and smile. Inside there's two sweet rolls and two bread things. Turning to him I grin. "Sweet rolls? Come here you!" Gabbing his head I pull him near me and kiss him 3 times on the cheek. He struggles and finally pushes me away, laughing.

"There's more than just sweet rolls." He says wiping his face. I look down and sure enough, there's also two bread-looking things. I hold one up to examine it. "What is it?"

He grins. "Those at tostees."

"What the hell are tostees?"

"They're toasted bread topped with ginger and spiced honeyed wine."

I take a bite of one and close my eyes as a burst of flavor. "Oh my..."

"Good?" He chuckles.

"Oh yeah." I nod. I sneak another kiss on his cheek making him wrinkle his nose. "Thank you."

"Yeah..." He says wiping his cheek.

"You never answered me... did you learn anything?"

He nods. "I did. Since Sir Guy has been staying in Loxley Manor, Robin has been staying outside of Chesterfield in Sherwood Forest."

"Why there?" I ask, taking another bite.

"It's close to Loxley but far enough to be hidden." He says. "Now that I know what town he's staying near, I can narrow down the roads he'll be keeping an eye on." He turns to face me and I stop shoving my sweets in my face for a moment. "You see, there's only one road I can think of that he'd be watching and that would be the road that runs from Chesterfield, through Loxley to Sheffield."

I nod before swallowing. "Okay, but how long and during what time of the day does he watch it? And what parts of the road? Nearest Loxley?"

He frowns. "I'm not sure. I say to be safe, we start mid-day at the edge of Chesterfield and slowly make our way towards Loxley. He's bound to show up to see how much money we have."

About mid-day on the next day we ride into Chesterfield and stop for a rest. As we were handing our horses off to a stable boy, I hand him a few coins and we casually start to walk around the marketplace. Before reaching Chesterfield, I suggested it'd be a good idea stop in Chesterfield and listen for anything pertaining to Robin Hood while pretending to shop.

We had just turned the corner when from the corner of my eye, I see a man about my age with short brown hair, trim goatee and dressed in a dirty and worn version of Isaac's outfit, with a dirty green cloak. I hold up my hand to silence Isaac from his random babbling and swiftly turn on my heel. I walk over to a pottery stand nearby so I can keep an eye on him. I see him look around for a moment before pulling a haggard looking woman to the side. He says in a soft tone I can just barely hear, "Robin sent me to give you this..." He hands the woman a bag of coins which quickly disappears into her shirt. "And he also told me to tell you that Much will bring by some food later tonight near your house in the usual spot."

The woman smiles and embraces the man who hesitantly hugs her back after the shock of the sudden display of affection wears off. "Oh, thank you Alan! Bless you! God bless Robin as well!" She says before releaing him. He smiles at her with a small nod before looking around. Theyseparate and act as if their little encounter never happened and he looks around once more before walking away.

leave the little stand and quickly make my way over to Isaac who is buying a small loaf of barley bread. He raises an eyebrow and I lean close to him. "We have a lead. Follow me." I say just loud enough for him to hear me. He nods at me and gets our bread before following me. We walk together through a small walkway between two shops and I catch site of our guy. Isaac starts to walk towards him when I hold out my arm to stop him and motion to the guy with my chin. He nods to signal he understands and moves back against the wall next to me.

Sticking to the dark spots and blending in, we follow the guy to the outer part of the town. He looks around right as we duck behind a cart and watch him follow the road out towards Loxley before disappearing into the forest. As soon as he's out of sight, we stand and I turn to face him. "Do you know of a person named Alan? I heard him speak to a woman and say it's from Robin."

Isaac thinks for a moment before nodding. "I have. That must be Alan a Dale."

"Who?"

"He's one of the more famous guys in Robin's gang." He explains.

I smile. "Perfect." I point out to where he disappeared. "They must not be too far from here then since he disappeared just over there."

He suddenly frowns. "What if he knew he was being followed? What if that's just a trap?"

Walking away, I chuckle. "I guess we'll find out, won't we?"

Walking back into the town, I swipe an apple from an unsuspecting merchant and take a bite. "We'll start that way in the morning."

Isaac wrinkles his brow. "Why wait?"

"Because," I say swallowing. "If we leave now, he may very well think he was followed. Give them time to think otherwise." I take another bite and juice starts to drip down my chin before I wipe it away. "Also, hopefully we'll catch them early enough that they'll be sluggish with sleep."

We spend the night at the local inn and go over our plan over and over until Isaac feels tired and passes out on the bed. I stay up, unable to sleep, and twirl my dagger with the tip digging into the table top as I think about the plan. The thought of the possible wife resurfaced and I'm overcome with anxiety. It'll be impossible to make somebody fall in love with me if he's already in love with somebody else. I deep breath and look over at Isaac who is sleeping peacefully.

All of a sudden I feel hot and short of breath. _I need to get out of this room. _I glance once more at my companion, I grab my dagger and cloak and silently leave the room. Quickly desending the stairs, I clasp my cloak and put on my shroud and hood before stealing out into the night. Outside it's quiet with the exception of the drunkards stumbling out of the nearby tavern, muttering to themselves.

I walk past them and into the tavern where men and a few women are drinking and having a grand time. Removing my shroud and hood, I walk over to a small table near the back, examining the people around me. My attention quickly shifts when a woman,looking as though she's had one to many, walks over to me. "What can I get ya?" She asks.

"I'll take one of your best ales." I say in a bored tone.

She hiccups and presses a hand to her mouth then lowers it. "Right away." She says with a lazy smile. She returns moments later with a tankard filled to the brim with ale and sets it down. "Here." She slurs. "Enjoy."

I nod and she walks away. I slowly drain my ale, taking time to let the drink drown out my growing anxiety and put up my shround and hood. I stand and put my empty tankard on a table of drunken men before silently slipping out of the tavern. I wait just outside for a moment, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness before winding my way between shops to get back to the inn. On my way, I spot a short-sih man drop off a bundle near a house. He looks around and I conceal myself within the shadows as I've been trained. He quickly walks away, looking around him. _So this must be the Much person Alan was refering to._ I follow him and just like Alan, he walks up the road a little and then disappears into the forest. _Interesting..._ Keeping that in mind, I start to walk back towards the inn. Not to far from my destination, I man grabs me and pull me into the darkness. "Come here...lady." They say gruffly. I try to get away.

"Let go." I growl. "Or you'll be sorry."

The guy chuckles and starts to cough. His hand moves over my breast and I smell the ale on his breath. He's about to say something but before he has a chance, I whirl him around and press my dagger to his neck. "I told you you'd be sorry." I hiss. With one swift movement, I feel the life drain out of him before he drops to the floor. Smirking to myself, I start to walk out into the town square but then think about my appearance. I rub my fingers together, feeling the warm blood. I turn around and walk two shops away to the blacksmith. I use his small bucket of water near his forge to clean the blood off my hands and wipe my face just in case. Once clean, I make my way back to the inn, climb the stairs to the room and sit back in my spot.

Early in the morning, I'm munching on a bit of barley bread when Isaac finally begins to stir. "Hey, you're awake." I grin. He slowly sit up on the bed and rubs the sleep that still clung to his eyes. "Yeah... Did you even sleep?"

Looking down at my bread, I shrug. "A little." I lie. I look up at him and watch as he shakes his head in attempt to wake up.

"After you eat something, we'll head out." I say. Sighing he nods and stands up. "Alright..." He gives me a sleepy grin. "What's for breakfast?"

After Isaac takes forever to eat and get ready, we finally head out about mid-day. Luckily, when we reach outside, we find a thick blanket of fog concealing anything a few feet from us. As we walk to the stables to grab his horse, I try my best to conceal my annoyance with little success.

"Are you still mad at me?" He frowns, putting the bags on his horse.

"No." I say flatly. "I just figured that when I said 'we'll head over in the morning' I meant we actually leave in the morning. Not close to mid-day."

He opens his mouth to say something but closes it seeing no point to argue. He mutters an apology and mounts his horse. I pay the stables to hold my horse and sling my quiver over my shoulder before reclasping my cloak to conceal it. I let Isaac start to ride off ahead of me while I walk behind him as we start up the road.


	10. A Feast Worthy Of Outlaws

The thick fog surrounded the camp like a veil sealing them within their own little world. While Much cooked on the small fire, the gang lounged about lazily. Robin is stretched on on the soft ground toying with the sting on his bow when he pauses for a moment, listening. He sits up and looks over in the direction of the road and Little John looks over at him. "What's is it, Robin?"

Robin remains still for a moment before grinning at his friend. "It seems we have some travelers on the road. Shall we introduce ourselves?"

John smiles and everyone stands up from where they sit. Robin turns to look at Much who looks down at the food he's cooking. "Much, you can stay here and prepare our little feast for our guest."

Much is about to object but seeing Robin's, expression, nods solemnly before kneeling back down. Robin motions for the other three to follow him and start towards the road.

"I really hope that it's some fat abbott or lord." Alan says. "Hopefully it's not just some old beggar again."

Robin chuckles to himself but remains silent, holding his hand up to silence the men as they came closer to the road. He lifts up his hood enough to conceal his face but still enabling him to see and quickly grabs an arrow from his quiver and draws his bow. Slowly he advances toward the front of the of the figure on his horse.

* * *

><p>I walk up alongside Isaac, as we walk along the road. "Why didn't you take your horse?" He asks.<p>

I smile. "You'll see."

We walk along the road for a while until I stop. I hear a twig snap not to far. "Keep going." I say to Isaac, just above a whisper.I raise my hood and put my shroud on to conceal my face. I let Isaac ride ahead of me slightly so I could just barely make him out in the fog and get an arrow ready. I carefully make my steps to prevent making sounds. It doesn't tak long until I hear the rustling of trees and my heart beats a little faster. Isaac continues and I wonder if I'm just hearing things when he finally stops abruptly. I stop as well and about to ask him what's wrong when he lets out a startled gasp.

"Hello." I hear a smooth, masculine voice say from in front of Isaac. I see nobody since the fog is so thick but turn my head slightly to hear him. "Care to accompany my friends and I to a little feast?"

Isaac studders for a moment, probably starstruck by meeting such a famous person and I take my chance to step closer with my bow draw and aimed at the man. "Mind if I join this little feast?" I ask.

The man, whom has a bow similar to mine pointed at Isaac, looks over at me. He's dressed mostly in lincoln green with a forest green cloak with the hood covering most of his face. The only part uncovered his is mouth and chin, which is his covered in light brown stubble. As he looks at me, he smiles and lowers his bow.

"Of course, my lady." He says smoothly. He does a small bow, probably to mock me, saying, "It would be an honor for both of you to join me."

"Good." I nod. I keep my bow trained on him and he chuckles. "If I may first ask for you to lower your weapon. I mean you no harm."

I glance up to Isaac to see if he knows if this is true and he nods. Sighing, I lower my bow and the man bows once more before straightening.

"Now, come with me!" He says joyfully. Suddenly three other men appear with the biggest one leading the horse. I walk next to the first man, aware of the two men behind us and the one on the other side of the horse talking with Isaac.

As they lead us through the fog, I try to figure out whom is who. I know that one of the men behind me is Alan a Dale since I saw him yesterday but the young man walking beside him I'm not sure about. I glance around and think that surely none of these guys could be the man I saw sneaking around at night. What was his name again?

My thoughts are interrupted by the whispers from behind me.

"I think I know her." Alan says.

"How?" The other asks.

"Nottingham, maybe?" He says. I feel his gaze on me and look down. From the corner of my eye I see the man at my side look over at me.

"May I make another request?" He asks, just loud enough of the two of us to hear. I look over at him and raise an eyebrow. "May I ask you to reveal yourself so I can see what you look like?" He smiles at me. "You have an unfair advantage over me."

I smirk, knowing it's covered by my shroud. "But if I did that, you'd still be covered, therefore having a unfair advantage over me." I reply.

He chuckles. "You have a point there. Let's make a deal. I'll reveal myself if you do the same. What do you say?"

I think about this for a moment. "You first." I say, with a glance at him. I tried to make it seem playful when I really wanted to get a look at him to know who this might be.

He smiles. "Alright." His hands rise up and push back his hood to reveal his short medium brown hair. He glances over at me and my breath catches seeing his green eyes. "There." He smiles. "Now it's your turn."

I stare at him for a moment, completely caught off guard. I assumed all of Robin Hood's men would look wild with large beards and almost no teeth yet this man was incredibly handsome! I quickly look down, trying to get a hold of myself. "Alright. As you wish."

I slowly lift my hood off first, cursing under my breath as my hands slightly shake. _Get it together, Eva._ I mentally scold myself as I put the shroud off to reveal my face. I look over at him. "There. Now you can see me. Happy?" I say with a small smile.

He nods approvingly. "I do. Now we're even."

We walk for a little while until we get closer to the camp. My stomach tightens as I smell meat cooking. The man beside me tells us to wait a moment then walks ahead of us and disappears into the fog.

* * *

><p>Robin leaves the little group and walks a little ways into the camp where Much is still cooking. He looks up as Robin enters, frowning. 'Where is everyone else?"<p>

"They're coming. I told them to wait so I can see how everything is going... is everything close to ready?" Robin asks. Much nods and he smiles. "Good. Hopefully we'll have enough. There's two travelers instead of one."

Much looks up from the stew he's stirring "Yeah, we'll have enough. I mean you brought back enough meat this morning to feed an army!" He exclaims.

Robin chuckles. "Well it's a good thing I did!" Bending down he grabs an apple from the little basket and takes a bite earning an annoyed look from Much. "What?"

"That was for the meal!"

"It's okay, Much. We'll feast, ask them a few questions and send them on their way." Robin says. "One apple gone won't ruin anything."

Much mutters something to himself and Robin walks away laughing.

* * *

><p>I shift uneasily on my feet as we wait, listening to the whispers of the men behind me. Finally the guy walks back eating an apple and smiles. "The feast is almost ready. Come on into the camp and we'll talk while we wait."<p>

I glance at Isaac from over the horse as he walks with the tall man that leads his horse but he's too busy talking to notice. When I face forward, I notice the guy eating an apple has joined me once more.

Inside the camp, large makeshift table with logs on either side to sit on and a man stirring a large pot of what I take to be stew. Inhaling, I smile. We all sit down at the table to see a nice spread of food including meat, bread, ale, cheese and more. It was quite a lot of food for people who were outlaws. The man cooking and Alan spooned out stew into little wooden bowls and we talked while we ate. Alan insisted I sat next to him and the other younger guy.

"So, what type of meat is this?" Isaac asks, in between shoveling food into his mouth.

"Venison." The cook replies.

"Freshly- killed this morning." The first man grins, winking at me. I lower my gaze and Isaac frowns.

"I thought only the King can hunt it around here?" He asks.

"That is true." The first guy says. "But being outlaws, we don't exactly care for laws. Am I right men?"

The other four chant in agreement. The first man takes a drink of his ale before setting it down. He looks at me then Isaac.

"In all this excitement, excuse me for not asking your names."

"I'm Isaac." Isaac grins.

The man then looks at me and smiles. "And you?"

"I'm Eva." I smile. "And I can guess you are Robin Hood's famous gang but, " I frown. "I'm not sure whom is who."

"Let me help you then, my lady." He stands up and points out each man. "The cook of this great meal is Much." He says and Much nods with a smile.

He points to Alan and the younger man next to him. "That is Alan a Dale," Alan nods. "And next to him is young Will Scarlet." The young man with black hair nods and I smile at him, making him look down for a moment which makes the first man chuckle. "And the big man sitting next to Isaac is John Little, or as we call him, Little John."

"But he's tall...not little." I say, acting stupid.

"Indeed he is."The first man smiles. "And I..." He says with a bow. "Am Robin Hood."

I look at him in surprise. "You? You're the famous Robin Hood?"

"I am." He nods suddenly serious, before sitting down. "Now, I have a question to ask you both..." He looks between Isaac and I. "How much money are you carrying?"

We remain silent for a moment and he continues. "I will ask one more time. How much money are you carrying?"

Isaac exchanges a nervous glance at me and I take a deep breath. "Not much." I reply. "We've been travelling for a while now since our village was burned down by bandits..." I look down, acting as if I'm going to cry. "My brother and I have been looking for a place to live but then we heard about how you help people..." I look up at Robin.

He nods. "How much are you carrying, specifically?"

I take a deep breath and pretend to think. "Mine and Isaac's combined I'd say maybe...20 shillings."

He nods and holds out his hand. "Let me see."

We slowly hand over the tiny sacks of coins and wait as it's dumped onto the table and counted. We looked worried but since Isaac had heard about what happens I left the rest of our money hidden away in Chesterfield so we'd have it when we needed it. From what Isaac told me, if you answer truthfully, you may keep all that you have. If you need money, then Robin will give or lend you some. But if you lie to him - if you hoard your money, well ... you won't have that money for very long. You'll be stripped of your clothes and cash, tied backwards on your horse and sent back to Nottingham,or where ever you've come from in shame. And your money? It will go to help someone in need.

After counting the money out, he puts them back into the bags and tosses them back. "Alright, since you were truthfully with me, you may keep your money. " Robin says. "And if you need money, I'll give you some and send you on your way."

"Actually, Robin... I wanted to ask to join your gang."

The other men laugh and Robin smiles. "Join my gang?"

My cheeks redden, not from embarrassment, but from anger. I take a deep breath and straighten. "Yes."

He chuckles. "And why would you want to join my gang?"

"Both my brother and I can fight." I say, earning more laughter from the men. "And we can shoot." I stand up and grab my bow and quiver from where I set it nearby and walk up to Robin. "Let's make a deal." I say with a grin. "You and I have an archery contest. If I win, I get to join your gang. If you win, we'll leave and never bother you again."

Smirking, Robin steps toward me so his face is near mine.I stay where I am aand look him in the eye. "What do you say?"

He chuckles as he looks at me. "You're on."

I grin and the men cheer except Alan who frowns. "Seriously?"

Robin grabs his bow and quiver while Little John and Will set up some homemade target. While they get ready, Isaac walks up to me, grinning.

"What did I tell you!" He whispers excitedly. "I told you he couldn't resist a challenge."

"That you did." I smirk. "Now I need to lose."

Isaac's smile fades. "Wait, what? Why do you need to lose?" He frowns. "Eva, if you lose, we won't be able to join!"

I chuckle. "No, we'll join. In the Shadows I've learned about manipulation. Pity can be a strong manipulator. I'll do well at first, then mess up causing me to lose."

"Okay..." He nods.

"Then, acting upset, they'll start to pity me. Maybe they'll say I was close and let me in, if not then I'll do something to really show my skill."

He gives me a confused look. "I don't understand."

"Trust me. "I smile. "You'll see."

Everything is ready and I take my place next to Robin and he explains the rules. "Okay, you get to shoot only three arrows. Out of those three, whoever is closest to the center, wins. Understand?"

I nod. "I understand."

"Good." He smiles. "We'll each go back and forth and shoot. Okay?" I nod and he motions to the target. "Ladies first."

Robin moves off to the side and I get a arrow from my quiver and draw my bow, aiming for the center of the target that is set on one of the large trees. I take a deep breath and shoot. It hits right in the middle and the men clap a little. I smile at Robin. "Your turn."

"Not bad." He nods. I step away as he grabs an arrow and shoots hitting the center right next to mine. The men cheer for him and I nod.

I shoot another arrow in the center and he again shoots one right next to mine. _He's taunting me_.

"Last one." He says stepping over to the side. I nod, acting nervous. I ready my arrow and fix my footing. I shift my foot too much on purpose so I'd stumble slightly as I shoot. My arrow still hits the target but just barely near the far edge of it. I close my eyes as if I'm about to cry while internally I'm happy.

Robin shoots his last arrow and hits exactly in the center, winning. I take a deep breath before I feel a hand go on my shoulder. I look over at Robin.

"You did great." He says. "But unfortunately, you lost."

I take another deep breath and nod "I did..." I wait a moment to see if they'll offer me to stay anyways as Much grabs one of the apples from the table and walks over to the target to look at it.

Seeing my opportunity to show off my skill, I quickly grab an arrow from my quiver and shoot straight at Much as he turns. My arrow shoots the apple right out of his hand and into the target just inside the center circle. Everyone including Isaac stands looking in shock. Much looks down at his empty hand, to the target then at me.

Will looks at Alan and points to the target in disbelief. "Did you-?"

Alan nods. "How the-"

Robin looks at me and I look down to conceal the smirk creeping up. I sigh. "Well... "I look up at Robin. "Thank you Robin for inviting us to your feast. It was a pleasure to meet all of you...I guess we should be on our way now..." I look at Isaac. "Come on, Isaac. Let's go."

He finally snaps out of his daze and starts to follow me when we hear the men all telling us to wait. I smirk at Isaac and mouth "Told You." Robin gently grabs my arm to swing me around to face them.

"Actually, on second thought, maybe we can keep you for at least a trial period." He smiles. "Especially after seeing your shooting skills..."

"About took my hand off!" I hear Much mutter to Will and try not to laugh.

Robin looks over at his men. "Anyone have a problem with a woman joining the gang?"

Will quickly shakes his head and so does Much. Little John looks as though he's about to say something but doesn't. Robin nods and looks at Alan. "What about you Alan?"

He shakes his head. "I have no problem with it. I mean we've had one once before."

I see Robin shoot him a quick look."Okay then! " He says turning back to me. "Looks like you're in."

"What about Isaac?" I ask. "I won't join without my brother."

Robin rubs the back of his neck and opens his mouth when Much speaks up. "Do you-"

"I'm a horrible cook." I answer, knowing what he's asking.

"Oh..." He nods.

"I can cook." Isaac inputs. "I always cook for the two of us."

Much looks pleased and smiles. "Welcome to the gang!"

Robin chuckles at this. "Well it looks like they're okay with it." He smiles at us. "Welcome to the gang, you two!"

I grin. "Thank you!" We both get a pat on the back and welcomed giving me a sense of relief. _Stage One complete._


	11. The Informer

_ 13 Days Later_

Guy Gisborne paced back and forth in the sheriff's office, muttering to himself. "Care to sit down, Gisborne?" The sheriff finally says, irritated. Guy stops his pacing to look down at the seat, shakes his head and resumes to pace. The sheriff rolls his eyes then jumps as Guy slams his fist onto the table.

"It's been almost a fortnight with still no word!" Guy exclaims. "Why haven't we heard anything?" He straightens and starts pacing the room once more, giving the sheriff time to rearrange the pile of papers he messed up. Guy suddenly stops and looks at him. "Do you think something could have happened?" He asks.

"To a young, female _deadly_ assassin?" The sheriff scoffs, earning a grimace from Guy. He waves it off and leans back in his chair. "Give it another day, Gisborne. Besides, you still have to do you rounds today anyways. If you don't find a symbol anywhere, I'll send some guards to look for her. Okay?"

"Fine." Guy growls walking over to window to look out. "One more day."

* * *

><p>I sit over near one of the large trees and carving some stick I found with my knife. Looking up from my carving, I smile as I see Isaac talking to Much while helping him cut up some potatoes.<p>

"They seem to be getting along famously."

I look up at Robin as he leans against my tree. I nod. "They are." I agree. "Much seems happy to have an assistant."

"That he does." Robin chuckles. Moving around the tree he taps my boot with his foot. "Come on. Much is running low on meat; We need to hunt."

My brow furrows as he starts to walk away. Alan or Will usually hunt with him. I wonder why he wants me to go….

I toss my stick off to the side and stand up, grabbing my bow and quiver before following Robin. "We'll be back, Much." He calls over his shoulder. We get no answer and I hear him let out a laugh. "Maybe letting your brother join wasn't the best idea." He jests, smiling at me.

"Oh? Would you rather hear Much complain about being the only cook in the group?" I smirk.

"He considers this before smiling at me. "You've got a point there."

"I'm surprised you took me hunting with you." I say jokingly. "Is it because I was the only person around besides Much and Isaac?"

He looks over at me, probably to see my expression to figure out if I was kidding. "No. You're a trained archer and I figured you would have more fun hunting than just sitting around."

I frown. "Oh..."

Nudging my arm he smiles. "Also I wanted a chance to talk to you one on one. Since you joined, I haven't been able to really talk to you. I figured this would also be a way to get to know you better."

"There's not much to know really." I shrug. "Isaac and I lost our family a while back and have been on our own ever since."

"So where did you learn to shoot so well?" He asks. "You shoot almost as well as I do. Did Isaac or one of your family members teach you?"

"Isaac?" I scoff. "I had to teach him how to shoot. I shake my head. "No, my husband taught me to shoot, among other things." I say honestly. He slows down slightly and glances at me.

"So you're married?"

I look down and kick some dirt with my boot. "I used to be."

Seeing me look down, his tone softens. "What happened?"

I look down at my bow for a moment, rolling it in my fingers. "He died."

"Oh... I'm so sorry to hear that." He replies, frowning. "I know how it feels to lose the one you love."

Looking up at him, I'm reminded of the Marion story Isaac told me. Now I can find out what if the stories are true. "You do?" I ask.

He nods. "I do. I, too, was married once. Her name was Marion..."

"I see..." I say, "What happened to her?"

"She was killed almost four years ago." He pauses, "It's strange..."

"What is?"

"This is the first time I've really spoken of her since her passing." He looks up. "What was your husband's name?"

"William." I say. After so many years, like Robin, this is the first time I've really spoken of Will's passing. Part of me wanted to break down in tears but I remain calm. "His name was William."

Robin gives me a small sympathetic smile. "I don't mean to pry but, how did it happen?"

"Like your wife, my husband was killed about three years ago..." I clench my fists as I think of Delvin. "We were betrayed by somebody we thought was a friend."

Stopping for a moment, he turns to me and, he puts a hand on my shoulder and gives it a light squeeze. "I'm so sorry Eva." He says, softly. "I hope the man that betrayed your husband gets what's coming to him."

I nod. "Me too..."

* * *

><p>We return to the camp close to suppertime with two fat rabbits that we found caught is some traps Little John set out a few days ago. Robin hands them off to Will who gets straight to skinning them. After he checks on Much to see how everything is going, Robin strides over to where I'm talking to Isaac and hands me a small sack. "Here. I need you to take this the Hamon family over near the fruit vender. Give this to them and have them tell Mrs. Toly there will be another drop off once it gets dark."<p>

"Alright." I nod.

"Mind if I go?" Isaac asks Robin. "Much wanted me to go buy some spices for the stew tonight."

Robin shrugs. "Sure." He looks between us. "Now this is the ultimate test to determine your trial period. I'm trusting you two with this task. Do it discretely and don't draw too much attention to yourselves. Guy of Gisborne will be lurking around and I don't want him to catch you both. Understand?"

We nod and he sends us off. We both put on our cloaks and start the walk towards the town. As soon as we're out of earshot of the camp, I look at Isaac. "Now is our chance to let Gisborne and the sheriff know that we've located Robin and his gang and managed to join them."

"Yes." He nods. "But how will we meet with him at night to tell him?"

"Only one of us will get to go. Hopefully Robin sends one of us out for the night drop off. If he doesn't. We'll have to sneak out after everyone is alseep."

Isaac frowns. "Hopefully it doesn't come to that."

"Hopefully." The marketplace is buzzing with activity when we finally make it into town. Near the entrance I tell Isaac I'll meet him towards the road back to camp after he's finished getting Much's spices.

* * *

><p>After I leave him, I casually walk down towards the fruit vendor, glances here and there at shops and asking about random items. I try to blend in as much as possible until I finally get to my destination. Thomas Hamon, the eldest son, is casually talking to one of the merchants when I show up. With my hood and shroud up, only my eyes are showing as I stand next to him. He glances at me with an unsure look and quickly starts to walk away. Cursing under my breath, I wait a few moments, taking note of which way he went before I start to follow him. Seeing as I'm new to the group and this being my first solo dropoff, a lot of the people Robin helps don't know me yet.<p>

Using my shadows training, I'm able quickly make it so that I'm walking along side of him. "Where's your mother?" I ask casually.

He gives me an alarmed look since I basically appeared out of nowhere. He looks around. "What's it to you?"

Pulling down my shroud I look at him and smile. "I'm with Robin. I have something to give her and need to know where she is."

He gives me a skeptical look. "You're with Robin? I've never seen you before."

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. "I know. I'm new and this is my first solo drop off."

"What are you? His girlfriend?"

My face reddens and he smiles. "No." I say firmly. "I'm just a member of his gang."

He chuckles and I take a deep breath to calm the urge to kick his ass. "I apologize. I'm just teasing you. You must be Eva. Robin told me about you."

"He has?" I ask. I can tell I'm blushing but try to quickly change the subject. "Where's your mother?"

He motions a little ahead of us at a small poorly-built house. "Inside most likely spinning or feeding the little ones." I thank him and make my way to the little dwelling and knock on the door. It's answered by a young woman close to my age with her hair braided off to the side. "Yes?"

"Hi." I smile. "Is your mother busy?"

She starts to ask who I am, when I hear a woman's voice from inside tell her to let me in. The young woman steps off to the side to let me in and I see an older woman carding wool over in the corner. She looks over at me and frowns. "Who are you?"

"My name is Eva. Robin sent me here with a drop off." I hold out the little bundle and she stands up from her seat and walks over to me to grab it. "Oh thank you!" She smiles. "Thank Robin for his kindness. "

"I will." I smile. "Also he told me have you tell Mrs. Toly that there will be another drop off when it gets dark."

She nods. "I will. Thank you again for this."

* * *

><p>After I leave their house, I smile to myself. It feels good to help the less fortunate. Now I can see why Robin does it so much. Putting my shroud back on, I slip away deeper into town over to the side that has less activity. I approach a wooden post nearby and look around me before taking my chalk out and drawing a line with an arrow like symbol pointing to the right. Once I make it, I look around once more before putting my chalk back into the pouch on my belt and head back towards the meeting place.<p>

* * *

><p>About an hour ticks by before I am finally joined by Isaac. I glance at the pack he brought with him and raise an eyebrow at him. "I doubt that's all spices."<p>

His face reddens. "It's not. Much was talking about cheese and dried fruit he wanted to get so I dipped into the little bit of money I had stashed away."

I frown. "Didn't Much give you money for the spices?"

"Yeah."

"Then what are they going to think if you show up with more than what they gave you money for?" I ask. "We aren't supposed to have much money, remember?"

He shrugged. "I'll tell them I was able to haggle for great prices."

I purse my lips. "Robin won't like you swindling his loyal followers."

"I'm not saying I swindled anybody. People haggle all the time. People who can't afford much, merchants or not can relate and some show some flexibility with their prices." He says defensively, before breaking into a smirk. "Besides, when did you become so concerned with how men feel about what we do?"

My cheeks start to burn. "I don't. I just don't think we should be drawing attention to ourselves." I lower my voice. "This is still our mission and I intend to follow it through."

Shaking his head, he chuckles. "Whatever you say." His tone suddenly turns serious. "So did you learn anything new when you were out hunting with Robin?"

"I did, actually." I start to walk down the road with Isaac alongside me. "The Marion rumors are true."

He frowns. "Robin is married?"

"Was. Like Will, she was killed four years ago."

His brow furrows. "By whom?"

I shrug. "I don't know. He never told me and I never asked."

"Why not? We could use that information to our advantage."

"I know," I nod. "But if I push him for information on personal issues this early, he'll be suspicious as to why I want to know." I look directly ahead of me. "I need him to trust me first."

"He seems pretty fond of you already." Isaac says. I look at him and he smiles. Rolling my eyes, I change the subject.

"I put up our marking to talk in town. Whoever gets to go talk to Guy tonight will tell him just that we have located Robin and his gang and have joined, but are in a trial period for right now."

Isaac nods to show his understanding and tells me about his purchases as we make our way back to camp.

* * *

><p>Guy rides on his black horse through the small town of Chesterfield, looking around for any sign of a symbol from Eva. He barks orders to his men to start setting up to collect taxes while he rides ahead. They obey, dismounting, and clearing a spot. Guy rides off ahead and carefully scans his surroundings. As he comes near the less busy part of town, he spots a symbol drawn onto a wooden post and smirks. Feeling relieved, he turns his horse around and trots back towards his men.<p>

* * *

><p>We get back in camp and immediately, Isaac is called over by Much. I watch in amusement as Much smiles at him. "Well? Did you get all the spices?"<p>

"I did and much more." Isaac grins. He tosses his pack to Much who opens it. He pulls out some cheese and looks up at him. "How were you able to get all this? I only gave you enough for spices?"

Little John, who is sitting nearby, looks up from the staff he's carving.

"I was able to haggle with some merchants." Isaac grins. "Being part of Robin's gang seems to have it's advantages."

I lean against one of the large trees when I feel somebody brush against me. I look next to me and see Robin, looking over at Much and Isaac, his arms crossed over his chest. He looks at me and smiles. "Welcome back. How did the drop off go?" Did you run into a tall man with black hair and clothes?"

"The drop-off was successful with no sign of Gisborne. I also spoke with Mrs. Hammon and told her to tell Mrs. Toly about the night drop off." I smile. "And she thanks you for the food."

Smiling, he nods and looks ahead of us at Isaac and Much. "You two did well. As a reward, I'll let you relax the rest of the night."

Hearing this, I frown. "Does this mean we won't be doing the night drop off?"

He shakes his head. "You won't be this time." He motions over to Isaac with his chin. "I want to test Isaac by having him go alone tonight." He casts a quick glance at me. "Are you okay with that?"

I shrug. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He shrugs. "Being your brother and all, I figured you'd like a say in it."

"He's a grown man." I grin. "He's more than capable of defending himself."

He smiles at me but says nothing.

* * *

><p>After a supper of rabbit stew, bread with melted cheese and ale, the entire gang sat around the small fire and told stories of their past adventures. I sat in between Alan and Will while Little John told the tale of how he joined the gang. I was half listening as Will was explaining how to skin a rabbit while Alan played idly with this little flute he got from a minstrel that passed our road a few days ago. Close to the end of the story, Robin motions for Isaac, who stands and walks over to him and the rest of us look up at them as Robin explains his task.<p>

"Now Isaac, I'm having you go alone this time." Robin says taking two small bundles from Much. "These two bundles are to be placed at the back of Mrs. Toyl's house. There'll be an old trough in the pen. Drop it off there, knock twice on the door and leave. Don't get caught by the city guards patrolling. Understand?"

Isaac nods and he clasps his cloak and grabs the bundles. I excuse myself from Will and walk over to him. "Good luck, Brother." I say playfully, embracing him. I do this just so I can whisper in his ear, "Remember to only say what I told you. Nothing more."

" I know." He chuckles. "Don't screw this up."

I pull away and smile. "You learn quick."

Isaac leaves with the bundles and I watch him as he walks away.

Once Isaac disappears into the darkness, I let out a small sigh. I really hope he remembers to tell Guy only the things I told him. My thoughts are interrupted when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look over at Robin. "He'll be fine." He says, motioning over to the group huddled around the fire. "Come on. Let's rejoin everyone."

* * *

><p>Not long after we sat back down, everyone decided to call it a night and headed to bed. My mind alive with worry, I could barely sleep a wink. Once I could hear Much and Little John Snoring, I feel a small nudge and look around in the darkness. With the little slivers of moonlight, I was able to make out a form kneeling next to me. I instantly tense up but remain calm. "Yes?"<p>

"Eva?" I hear Robin whisper. "Are you awake?"

"Robin?"

"Yeah…did I wake you?" His tone is gentle and apologetic. I smile, knowing he can't really see.

"No. Is something wrong?"

I hear his soft breathing and see his form move a little. "No…." I sit up and look at him. "I want to show you something." He whispers before he holds out his hand. "Come on."

My heartbeat quickens but I pull off my cloak that I was using for cover and grab his hand. He helps me up and holds my hand for a moment. "Follow me." His hand drops from mine and I follow him further into the woods. As soon as we were far enough from camp, he starts to talk normal again. "Just out of curiosity, do you _ever_ sleep?" He asks teasingly.

My eyes narrow at his silhouette. "How do you—"

"Sometimes I see you just sit up or walk around."

I feel the heat rise to my cheeks. Every time I walked around, I thought Robin was sleeping. How, with all my training, did I not know that he wasn't? Feeling angry at myself, I try to deflect his question into a teasing question of my own. "Don't _you_ ever sleep?"

Since we were a few minutes from camp, the sound of water was growing stronger. Coming up to a small clearing he stops and turns to wait for me. "Sometimes I do. I often can't sleep because of the nightmares."

I walk over to his side and look at the small waterfall that looks incredible in the faded moonlight. I turn to look at him to find him staring at me. Our eyes lock for a moment before I turn away to look at the waterfall. "This is amazing Robin!" I start walking towards the shallow end of the water and I sense him behind me. "How did you know about this place?"

"It's where I sometimes come to think." He strolls over and stands next to me. "Often, when I can't sleep, I make sure my men are safe and then come here…."

I look at him as his eyes scan the seen. "What are the nightmares about?" I ask curiously. I suddenly get an idea and duck my head. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't pry…"

From the corner of my eye, I see him lower his head. He hesitates for a moment. "Most of my nightmares are of the Holy Land…."

I glace at him. "The Holy Land? Why there?"

"I was a soldier in King Richard's army. I fought by the King's side." He replies.

"But isn't the King named John?"

"He's not the real king!" Robin glares at me. "He killed the king!"

Slightly startled I backup. My body tenses with restraining my automatic urge to fight. I look away and he sighs. He takes a step towards me and grab my hand. I slowly look up into his green eyes. "I apologize." He says softly. "I didn't mean to shout at you. It's just…." He sighs and looks down at my hand in his.

Closing my hand around his, I smile. "It's okay, Robin. Anger can do that to you." _I should know better than anybody._

He smiles at me and we just look at each other for a moment before he motions over to a small grassy ledge near the water. "Come on. Let's go sit and talk." He smiles. "Get to know one another better."

"Okay." I grin and he leads me over to the ledge, his hand still in mine.

* * *

><p>By the time Isaac got to the meeting place after making the drop off, Gisbourne was already pacing. Seeing Isaac, he stops and walks towards him, glancing behind him. "Well?"<p>

"We've located Robin and his gang and have joined…." Isaac says just as Eva instructed. "We're currently in a trial period."

Guy nods. "Good…." He looks behind Isaac again. "Where's Eva?"

Isaac smirks. "Robin wanted her to stay behind…." Seeing Guy look away, pursing his lips, he continues. "They've been getting pretty close lately. Always together." This was a little exaggerated but it was funny seeing how jealous it was making him.

Guy's jaw tenses up. "I see…" He straightens and takes a deep breath. "It's good to hear that she's doing her job. Hopefully soon Robin Hood will be dead…"

"And Eva will be running into your arms?" Isaac adds with a smile, earning a glare from Gisbourne.

"Let us know when you have more information." Guy growls before turning on his heel and leaving.

* * *

><p>After a while, we get tired of sitting up so we lie back against some rocks and look at the stars in the sky. We've been sitting in this comfortable silence for a while after Robin told me about the Saracen man that tried to kill King Richard while they were in the Holy Land and how he had saved him. "While you two were off doing the drop off," Robin starts, looking up at the sky. "I had a talk with the rest of the gang to see if they think you two should join for good."<p>

"And?" I ask, tilting my head to look at him. "What's the decision?"

He smiles. "Much was especially vocal on keeping Isaac."

"Of course." I chuckle. "And what about me?"

He falls silent for a moment. "Honestly, there were a few concerns …"

I nudge him playfully. "And they are…?"

"One was that seeing how things were the last time we had a woman in group…."

I feel a sudden pang of jealousy. "Marion?" I try to say as emotionless as possible.

"Yeah…"

Wanting to change the subject, I quickly ask, "And what were the other concerns?"

"One of the big ones is that, also because you're a woman, you'd be a distraction."

Chuckling, I shift onto my side and rest my head on palm. "Do you think I'm a distraction?"

Grinning, he turns over to face me and his face is an inch away from mine. I suddenly feel really warm and my heart skips a beat as his eyes meet mine. His grin slowly fades as he looks at me and remains silent for a moment. "No…" He whispers.

Like as if a unknown force is pulling at us, we draw closer to one another and our lips meet. What seems like what was supposed to be just a peck turns into a longer, more passionate kiss as his hand gently lays on my side and pulls me closer. My mind is telling me to stop and pull away, to leave him wanting more but deep down I wanted this, no, I _needed_ this. I needed to feel wanted to be desired. Although, I never admitted it, after William died, I was lonely. Sure, I have Isaac but it wasn't the same. Finally I find the power to pull away and Robin just looks at me, most likely feeling as confused and emotionally aroused as I am. I quickly stand up from my spot and dust myself off, not looking at him.

"We should be heading back to camp." I say before holding out my hand. After a moment, he finally accepts it and lets me pull him to his feet.

Mentally scorning myself for ruining the whole 'make him desire' me thing, we walk back to our camp in silence. Right now I should be happy since the whole seducing plan is to make this happen but I couldn't help but also, secretly, enjoy the feeling when I kissed him. This mission is definitely going to be a lot harder than I thought.


	12. Interlude: Isaac

_Due to a request of sorts from a reader, I decided to make a chapter to sort of show Isaac's back story. There will most likely be more than one of these throughout the story but here ya go! :) _

_Seriously, one of the saddest chapters I've ever had to write I was crying. You'll see why. Enjoy!_

Elvedon – 10 years ago

_May Day_

"Emma, my love. Wake up!" Emma rolls over on her side but hears her name once again. "Emma!" She feels her husband roll her onto her back and say her name between kisses pressed to her cheeks. "Isaac!" She giggles. She opens her eyes to look up him. His boyish face is brightened by his excitement. "What is it?"

Grinning from ear to ear, he leans forward. "Today is May Day! No work in the field today. Only fun and merriment." He leans down to give her a peck on the lips. "Get dressed in your finest and we'll break our fast and then find some flowers and decorate our house."

"That sounds perfect, my love." She smiles, placing a hand on his cheek. He beams at her and placing his hand on hers, kisses her palm before rising. He leaves her to get the food ready until she calls his name. He hastens to their bedroom where she is standing in a simple brown linen dress with the back still untied. "Would you please help me, my dear husband?" She asks with a smile. "The bigger I become, the more difficult it is to do this." She lays a hand on her growing belly and he smiles.

"Of course." He walks over to her and grabbing the laces, he gently tugs at them and laces up the back, asking every so often if it's too tight. Afterwards he takes the hanging pieces of the band that goes right beneath her breast and ties it into a bow in the back. As soon as he finished, she turns to face him and leans forward and gives him a peck on the lips. "Thank you."

Following her into their little kitchen, he helps her with the pottage and sets up the few dishes they have on the table. He sits down and idly plays with the edge of one of the plates when he hears his wife let out a shocked cry. Jumping up, he joins her near the fire where she's sucking on her finger. "What's the matter?" He asks. "Are you hurt?"

"I was being stupid and burnt myself." She says. "I was stirring the stew and my finger touched the side of the pot."

Isaac chuckles earning a glare from his wife. "It's not funny! It hurts!" Grabbing her free hand, he turns her to face him and puts a hand on either side of her face. "You, my lovely wife, are not stupid." He kisses her forehead. "Young but not stupid."

"I'm not young." She says defensively. "I'm a grown woman of sixteen."

"Of course." He smiles and leads her over to the table. "Sit down and rest. I'll serve the food."

She frowns. "Are you sure? I can do it."

"Yes. Sit down and rest a while." He says walking back over to fire. Spooning out some stew into bowls, he set them down on the table. They ate in silence and then Emma went outside to wash her face with the early morning dew as this was a tradition on May Day. All women would wash their faces with the early morning dew for it was believed that this would make them very beautiful for the following year. Once she comes back inside the hut, she combs out her long light brown hair before putting it into plaits. Once she finishes, the two of them head out to join the other villagers in picking flowers off in the meadow nearby.

The day was filled with laughter and merriment as Isaac and Emma danced watched the archery contests. Maidens gave out ribbons to the winners and people could be seen showing off their strength. With much urging from Emma, Isaac joined in and came in second, winning a ribbon from the May Queen's hair. Winning this, he gave it to Emma, tying it at the end her braid. They walked around and laughed at the pranks that were pulled and saw the pile of cabbages stacked before the house of a woman known for her fondness for the young men in the village. Using a coin to buy a cabbage, Emma places it on the pile and shakes her head before Isaac leads her away to enjoy more of the May Day festivities. Close to dark, Emma starts to feel tired so Isaac walks her to their little hut. While she rests, he starts to cook some food and make an ointment from Emma's finger from some marigold petals that he picked and added them to a small pot of fat and simmered them for a while before straining it and letting it cool.

For supper they had goats milk and cheese with barley bread before settling into bed for the night. Emma put some of the ointment on her finger and thanked her husband with a kiss before falling into a deep sleep.

**_The Next Day_**

Isaac rouses from his sleep early the next morning, before the sun is even up. Feeling the chill in the room, he rubs his arms for warmth before starting a small fire to heat up the room. Emma is still sleeping and, seeing her shivering in her sleep, pulls the thin blanket over her to let her sleep a little longer.

Changing out of his night clothes, he pulls on his worn tunic, breeches and belt and takes the leftover food from the night before and dumps it into the troughs for the pigs. Coming back inside, he starts to make a fresh pot of pottage. If only this could have been his job. Sure, farming was honest work and paid their taxes but, cooking is what Isaac loved more than anything. Since he was a young boy of 12, his mother taught him simple recipes that he made every now and again when Emma wasn't feeling well and needed something to pick up her spirits. Earlier in the year, a day before his 16th birthday, Isaac's mother have him a pot that she had used since she married his father.

After waking Emma up, the day slowly drags on as any normal day does. Emma cards wool and cleans at home while Isaac works out in the fields with the other men. It seemed like any typical day until he heard shouting from the village and smoke.

"We're being attacked!" A man yelled at them as he ran out to them. "Raiders! They're Normans!"

"No…"Isaac says in disbelief. "Emma…" Dropping everything but his sickle, he sprints back into the village, dodging fleeing villagers and Raiders alike. Huts are going up in flames, women are being raped, children and men are being slaughtered all around him. Isaac slicing at a few men on near his house and starts battling a few right outside his hut when he hears Emma's cries from inside.

"Emma!" He yells, killing off the last of the group.

"Isaac!" She calls back. "Help me!"

He busts open the door and sees a raider punch her and pin her against a table, slapping her head down against the table. Her beaten, bloodied face looks out at Isaac and she mouths 'Help Me'.

"Get away from my wife!" Isaac hollers. He starts to run at the man but two more men appear and grab his arms, throwing him back towards the doorway.

"Looks like we have an audience!" The raider laughs. The men beat Isaac and hold him up. He struggles but to no avail. Grabbing his hair, they force him to watch as the man kicks Emma's legs apart and lifts the back of her skirts and thrusts into her hard. Emma, whom is already crying, winces every time he thrusts making Isaac try harder and harder to free himself.

One the man is finished he grabs Emma by her hair and drags her over to Isaac and kicks her behind her knees so she kneels. Tears and blood streaming down her face she looks up helplessly at her husband whose face is also streaked with tears and blood. He kneels next to her grinning and pulls out a knife. Isaac struggles against the men. "No…please….please, no…"

In one swipe, the man slices Emma's neck and drops her, laughing.

"NO!" Isaac bellows. "Emma!" The two men release Isaac and escape with their leader and Isaac scrambles over to his wife. "Emma…." He chokes out, rolling her over and cradling her head.

"Isaac…" She says gasping as blood pours out of her neck. "I..love you…" She says through her tears,

"I love you too." Isaac cries. She makes a few more coughing noises and then stops. Bawling his eyes out, Isaac cradles his wife's head, rocking back and forth. How could an ordinary day turn so bad so fast? The smell of smoke assaulted his senses and he looked up to see black smoke rising up from around him. The bastards set his house on fire! Coughing, he scrambles to pick up Emma's body in his weakened state but manages to get out the door, just as a portion of the roof collapses. Destruction lies all around him as the few survivors mourn their dead. Isaac walks over to a burnt hay stack and gently lies Emma's body on top and just looks at her. His home is destroyed and burnt to the ground and here, his wife and child lay dead before him. He has nothing.

The next day, the few people left alive bury their dead and slowly disperse. Isaac just keeps walking, almost as if in a trance. He doesn't even notice when it starts to downpour and just keeps walking, his wife's ribbon from her hair, clutched in his hand. He stops in a small tavern where everyone stares at his drenched form as he takes a seat at the bar, still in a trance.

"You look like you could use a drink." The bar maiden says. He looks at her for a moment then down at the counter before him. "Yeah… my wife just died."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that…. What can I get you? An ale?"

Isaac nods. "Yeah…an ale."

_Two Years Later_…

Tipping the tankard back, Isaac swayed a little, almost falling over. He drains it and chucks it onto the floor with a loud _clunk_. "Another one!" He yells. He can barely see straight but he doesn't care. The bar maiden who is walking past sighed and bent over to retrieve the tankard only to have her ass slapped. She slams the tankard onto his table. "Go be a drunken asshole, somewhere else!" She snaps. "This is getting out of hand."

He glares at her, which is hard considering he can barely focus on her. "Listen here…bitch. I want another…so go fetch me one!" He tosses the tankard at the bar, misses and hits a bigger guy.

"Oops." He giggles.

The man stands up and walks over to them. "You got a problem, drunk?"

"Just you bloody face." Isaac slurs.

Within seconds, Isaac being pushed out the door. In his intoxicated state, he loses his balance and end up face first into the mud. It's pouring outside and he just rolls over, mud coving his face and stares up at the sky. "God..please just kill me." He pleads. "I just want my wife back."

"It gets better." Isaac looks around him.

"Emma?"

Next to him, dressed in her May Day outfit, she smiles at him. "It'll get better, I promise."

Isaac blinks a few times before realizing he was hallucinating. "No it won't."

"It will." She says, frowning. "What's happened to you?"

"You died. That's what happened." Isaac says. He probably looks like a nutcase talking to himself but he didn't care anymore what people thought. After all, he hasn't shaved or bathed in 2 years.

"So? Life goes on, Isaac."

He feels the tears start to form. "I don't want it to, Emma. I want you. I want our baby."

"We're in a better place." She smiles. "We're happy. Now you should be happy."

"How?" Isaac asks.

"Go on with your life! Live! Live for the both of us!" She faded and all he could see was the ripples in the puddle next to me. She's right. He can't live like this. It's a waste and he doesn't want to shame Emma's existence. She tried to make every moment count and yet here he was wasting his life away. Pulling himself up into as much of a standing position as possible he makes his way towards a nearby stable and pass out on a pie of hay near the back. Tomorrow, he promises himself, he'll look for a food and a job. Time to get his life back on track.

The next morning, he awakens and walks around town in search of food when he's stopped by a man with a scruffy beard like his and ragged clothes. "Hey! You know how to fight?"

"Yeah, a little. Why?"

"My name is Delvin and I need men who know how to fight. You'll be paid and given food. Interested?"

Isaac thinks this over for a moment before smiling. "Where do I sign up?"


	13. A Minor Issue

We enter our camp just before the sun starts to rise. I start to walk over to where I was sleeping when I feel Robin touch my arm. I pause and look over at him. "Same time tomorrow?" He jokes, giving me a smile. I chuckle.

"Goodnight Robin."

"Goodnight Eva."

"Much…..Much!" Isaac chuckles, waving a hand in front of him. Much's gaze never leaves the couple off to the side, laughing with one another.

"What do you think is going on with those two?" Much asks. Isaac follows Much's gaze to look at Eva and Robin sitting together laughing and smiling at one another. Inwardly smirking, Isaac frowns. "I have no idea… I'm going to guess that they like each other."

Much gives him a shocked look before looking back at them. "I hope not!" He purses his lips. "This," he motions to Eva with the stick he was messing with, "Is exactly what I said would happen!" Receiving a confused look, he continues. "When you two were out doing drop offs and buying ingredients, we had a little gang meeting."

"About what?" Isaac asks.

"Whether or not we wanted to keep you and your sister in the gang." Much falls silent for a moment until Isaac urges him on.

"And?"

Much shrugs. "I voted to keep you."

"I figured as much." Isaac says with a small smile. "What about my sister?"

Much glances back at Eva before looking down, crossing his arms. "I said that having a woman in the group would be dangerous and distracting."

"But she's expert archer." Isaac points out.

Much looks up at him with a stony expression. "I don't want to see my master get hurt again."

Moments later, we hear a whistle and Little John instantly goes on alert. "That's Will or Alan."

Smiling, Robin straightens from leaning against the tree. "Looks like we have company!" He holds his hand up and Isaac tosses him his bow before motioning for Little John and Isaac to join him.

"What about me?" Much pipes up.

Robin shrugs as he fastens his cloak. "That's up to you, Much. You can stay here and hold down the camp or you can join."

Much looks around at the camp. "Well somebody should probably keep an eye on things…" He says to himself. He turns to Robin to say he'll stay when he sees Robin smile at Eva.

"Now you'll really get to see what we do." Robin says, holding his hand out to help her up.

Much purses his lips before springing to his feet. "I'll go! Maybe Eva should watch the camp while the rest of us go." Much suggests.

Robin frowns. "Well, I was going to show her how we deal with travelers since we haven't had many as of late…"

Eva rises to her feet. "That's alright, Robin. I can stay here. I know how you treat travelers." I chuckle. "Isaac and I both know since you did it to us."

"Are you sure?" Robin asks. "You can come if you'd like."

"I'm sure." She nods. "Go on ahead."

"See!" Much says happily. "It's settled! Let's go!" He grabs his sword and walks over towards Robin as we hear another whistle.

"Alright…" Robin bends over to retrieve his quiver and then him, John and Much left to meet up with Will and Alan. Isaac trails behind a little bit to talk to Eva.

"Go catch up to them and let me know if you hear anything important." She instructs. Isaac nods before grabbing his sword from nearby and running out to join them.

Isaac reaches them just in time to catch a part of Much's conversation with Robin. "Master, I just don't think she should stay."

"And why is that?" Robin chuckles.

"This is a serious matter!" Much says hotly. He notices Isaac and looks at him. "No offense since she's your sister but," he turns back to Robin. "She is too distracting and will only be a risk to the rest of us!"

Robin looks over at John. "What about you, John? Do you want Eva to leave as well?"

John's eyes flicker from Isaac then to Much. Sighing he shrugs. "I don't have much of a problem with her." He says.

Much frowns at him. "Why can't you back me up on this?"

"Because!" John growls. "If anybody is a danger to us, it'd be you!"

Much gasps and is about to argue when Robin silences them. "Hush!" He hisses as they get close enough to see a little bit of Will's tunic peeking out from a bush. "We will discuss this later at the camp." He looks around at the three men before letting out a whistle that sounded like a bird. The bush that Will is hiding in moves a little then goes still. It doesn't take long until they see a carriage slowly making its way down the road towards them. Getting his bow ready, Robin puts up his hood and waits until it comes a little closer. "Spread out and await my signal." Robin whispers. They obey and as soon as the carriage is close enough and walks out with his arrow drawn.

"Hello!" He greets them cheerily.

The driver stops the carriage and looks at Robin surprised. "Who are you?" He asks.

Robin chuckles. "Me? I'm Robin Hood!" He motions next to the carriage with his arrow before pointing it at the man. "Get down here so we can talk." The man obeys and steps down from the carriage with his hands raised. His arrow still trained on the driver, Robin circles around to the side of the carriage. "Who are you transporting?"

The man is about to speak when there's a sharp whistle from the other side and Robin catches a glimpse of a cleric trying to run. He motions off into the forest and after a moment there's a distressed cry. Alan and Will show up moments later each holding the arm of the cleric, whom is still trying to get away. Robin smiles at the driver. "Are you going to try to run too?"

The man looks around and then tries to run in one direction but Little John steps out of nowhere and blocks him with his staff. The man panics and tries to run the other way only to be stopped by Isaac. He attempts again and Much walks out, stopping him in his tracks. "Looks like you're surrounded." Robin says. He motions to his men and they drag the men next to each other. "Now," Robin starts. "How much do you both have?"

"Very little." The driver says. Robin looks at the cleric. "And you?"

He glances at the men and shrugs. "I'm just a simple cleric. No money, only God's wisdom."

Robin looks between the two. "Now, if you two are telling the truth…. You will be rewarded. If you are lying…. We will take all of your money." He looks between them. "Now I ask you again… how much money do you have?" They give him the same answers and he nods.

"Alan? Will? Search him." He says motioning to the cleric. He then points to the driver. "John, you hold him while Isaac searches him." He turns to Much. "And you can go search the carriage." Much nods and goes to his task. Robin waits as the men get searched.

"2 schillings and a pence." Isaac says. Robin nods and looks over at Alan. "What about the cleric?"

There's a pause as Will pulls out a small purse and dumps out the coins into his palm. "10 pounds."

"Really?" Robin grins. "What ever happened to having only God's wisdom?"

The cleric glares at him and then Much says something. "What was that Much?" Robin calls.

"There's an entire chest in here!" He calls back.

"Tsk tsk tsk." Robins says, grinning. "I expected more from a man of the cloth."

"Aren't clerics supposed to be honest at all times?" Isaac asks.

"I believe they are Isaac." Robin says.

"You'll all burn in hell for this!" The cleric spits.

"I don't know about that." Robin chuckles. He motions for the driver to be let go before turning to Alan and Will. "Strip him of his clothes and possessions and send him on his way."

The cleric objects but Robin turns his attention to the driver. "Although we are taking the chest, for telling the truth, you can have this." He holds his hand out to Will who tosses him the purse. He hands it to the driver. "Here, take this and live well."

"Bless you!" The driver smiles. "Bless you all!" He climbs up into his carriage and waits until Little John and Much remove the chest of money before making his way down the road towards town.

"Much, John, Will and I will head back to camp while Isaac and Alan take the chest out to our storage area." Robin says. "Then, once you get back, we'll have a gang meeting." He looks around at his gang. "Understand?" They nod in understanding. Much and Little John hand the chest off to Alan and Isaac and then follow Robin back to camp.

Isaac and Alan walk in silence for a while until Isaac asks where they're going. "The storage area where we keep all the money and food we take from people." Alan says. "Then whenever people need money or taxes, we have a supply ready to take from."

"So that's how we're able to always do drop-offs." Isaac says thoughtfully.

"Exactly." Alan grins. "I'm not being funny but we have a pretty good system going for us."

They reach a big mossy rock and Alan slows down. "We're here! Set it down for a moment."

They set the chest down and Alan looks around at the rock while Isaac gives Alan a strange look. "It's a rock…"

Alan looks over at him. "Yeah, I know."

"A…rock." Isaac repeats before following Alan.

"Yes….if you just give me a moment…aha! There it is!" Alan exclaims, moving some branches from a part of it and opening some sort of door. "Come on. Let's bring it in here and then get back for this gang meeting Robin was talking about." They get the chest inside the area, which turned out to be a lot bigger then Isaac expected it to be, before making their way out. Isaac glances around at the walls littered with barrels, sacks and random boxes filled with coin. "Wow…" Isaac says under his breath. As soon as they exit the storage, Alan hides the entrance once more and then signals for Isaac to follow him.

"I wonder what the meeting is about." Alan wonders aloud.

"My sister." Isaac says with a chuckle. Receiving a confused glance he continues. "Much wants to kick my sister out of the gang because she thinks she's too much of a distraction."

Alan shakes his head. "He said the same thing about Marion. Said she'd put us in danger."

"Marion?"

"Yeah. She was Robin's wife." Alan explains. "Her and Robin were engaged until he went off to war to fight in the Holy Land with King Richard. There was a bit of resentment from her when he came back but…."As they came closer to camp he lowered his voice. "After a while they became close again, became engaged and then married right before she died."

"How did she die?" Isaac asks but puts up his hand to quiet him just as they enter their camp. Robin has everybody gathered around the fire and motions for them to do the same. Isaac smirks slightly as he sees a very unhappy Much sitting beside Eva and takes a seat on the other side of him.

While we wait for Robin to start the meeting, I lean back a little and Isaac motions to Much and mouths, "Not very fond of you" with a grin. I smirk and lean towards Much. "Hey Much." I say with a smile. He glances at me a moment before looking ahead of him. "Hello." He says stiffly.

"You don't like me very much…do you?"

He shuffles uneasily and crosses his arms over his chest. "Not particularly."

"How co—"

"Shh!" He hisses at me as Robin gets ready to talk. "My master is about to speak."

"Now I have called this meeting because there have been some voiced concerns regarding Eva." Robin says motioning to me. "Although this has been brought up in a previous meeting, I think we should let Much make his case and then vote on it once more." He motions for Much to come up and he springs to his feet.

"I believe, as I've said before, that Eva is too much of a distraction to this gang and she puts us in danger."

"What danger?" Alan asks skeptically. "The only thing she's done since she's been with us is make drop offs to people in the village!"

"She's a woman!" Much exclaims. Both Robin and Little John raise their eyebrows in surprise. "That's right. I said it!" Much says. "She's a woman who will endanger us and distract us from our duties."

"She's an amazing archer." Will says. "There's not many expert archers that are women around here. Well except…" He looks at Robin before looking down. "Well…you know."

"Marion wasn't much of a distraction since she had her own cause to fight for." Much retorts.

"Not what you said when she first joined us." Alan shoots back. Much is about to argue but Robin holds his hand up to quiet them.

"Let's put it to a vote. All of those who are for kicking Eva out of the gang, say "Aye"."

Much looks around at the others who have their heads down or give him a scornful look. He frowns before looking at Robin. "Aye!" He says straightening.

Robin nods. "And all opposed?"

Each man around the fire says "Aye" until it gets back to Much and Robin. "Well it looks like the "Ayes" have it. Eva is staying."

"But Master—" Much starts to say earning a stern look from Robin. "Much, the decision is final. Eva is staying. We won't discuss this again. Understood?"

Much stares Robin down for a moment before turning on his heel. "I'm going to go work on dinner." He walks past us to where we stored our food. I lean over towards Isaac. "We need to get a message to Guy for a meeting. I have an idea for dealing with this."


	14. Nobility

Once the gang is fast asleep, I lie near Isaac but find myself restless as I am most nights. I feel a light tap on my hand and look up at the shadow near me. "Eva?"

"Robin? Can't sleep?" I whisper back.

There's silence for a moment as if he was checking his surroundings. "No… you neither?"

"Not really." I say gently.

"Care to talk?"

"Sure." I say smiling although he can't see it. He helps me up and I check on Isaac before we make our way back to the little waterfall that he showed me the night before. I rest on a low branch that hovers about a foot above the lush grass with Robin directly below me so that we can talk. I asked him about the Crusade that he went on with King Richard and he told me about the horrors he had seen. The way he spoke of them was almost as if he was in a trance.

"That sounds terrible." I frown.

He looks up at me. "It was." He looked back up at the darkened sky for a moment and we lie in silence until he speaks again. "About 2 years ago when my gang and I were coming back to Sherwood Forest from Barnsdale, we found a scene that was just…horrifying."

"What did you find?" I ask curiously.

His eyes meet mine and I could see something in his expression. Fear? "We found men…brutally killed and left there for the animals." I furrow my brow and he goes on. "There were 3 of them I believe all tied to a tree…."

Hearing this my heart started to pound. I never knew that Robin way up where we were when I killed the three men. "Wow…"I say quietly. Robin must have not noticed since he continues.

"One had an arrow in his throat, another was shot in the heart and…" He pauses for a moment and when I look at him, he looks like he's about to be sick.

"What?" I ask.

He shakes his head as if trying to shake the image out of his head. "The last one was the worst. Whoever it was had sliced him open and just left him to die in agony. His insides were—" He stops suddenly as though he can't go on. He looks up at the sky and I lie my head on my arm. He must never know the truth.

Isaac rouses from his sleep as he shifts and lays an arm where Eva should be. Noticing the emptiness, he sits up and looks around at the darkness. "Eva?" He whispers. Waiting until his eyes adjust to the darkness, he then scans his surrounding and frowns. "Where is she?" He thinks aloud before worry grips his heart. Removing his cloak from his legs, he stands and silently ties it around him and grabs his bow and quiver nearby. He casts a glance around at the rest of the gang, making sure every one of them is fast asleep before stealing away into the darkness.

He first circles the camp, listening carefully for any trace of sound. Venturing further out, he stops as he hears a man's voice, faintly, off to the south of his location. Isaac stalks off into the direction of the voice and smirks as the sound becomes louder as he gets closer. As he comes nearer, he hears the sound of water and a woman's voice. Through the green he sees a small waterfall, basked in silver moonlight. He scans the scenery and sees a woman lying on a low hanging branch and a man beneath her. Thinking it's only two lovers he starts to shrink away but hears the man say Eva's name. Moving closer while remaining hidden, he squints a little at the couple. His eyes widen as he realizes that the couple is Robin and Eva! Kneeling down, he turns his head slightly to listen to the conversation.

Robin reaches up, his fingers lightly grazing the palm of my hand that hangs down loosely. "Tomorrow is Midsummer Eve." He says before smiling up at me. "It'll be a day full of food, games, music…."

"Do outlaws go to festivals?" I ask, teasingly.

"I can't speak for all outlaws but we do." He gently presses his palm against mine. "Did you know that in parts of Brittany, it is rumored that a girl who dances around seven bonfires will be married within a year."

"Is that so?" I grin.

"It is." He nods.

"Looks like I won't be dancing around any bonfires." I chuckle.

Robin frowns at me. "Do you not want to get married again?"

My grin falls and I look down at the grass. "Isaac asked me the same question."

"And?"

"I don't know really." I say honestly. I glance down at him. "Would you?"

He shrugs. "I will always love Marion…." He pauses for a moment and I feel a pang of jealousy. "But, I don't know…. I am, as you said, an outlaw…." His fingers trace palm. "It would be difficult with the gang and moving around all the time…. It'd be difficult to have a family of my own…" His hand drops from mine and his brows knits together. "Marion and I wanted to have a family of our own but…" He cuts off and I feel the urge to cry. He looks up at me.

"Your husband…. What was he like?" He asks, most likely trying to quickly change the subject to something a little less sensitive for him. "What did he do for a living?"

"Will was a great man." I say softly. "For a while, when he was young, he helped his father who was a blacksmith. My sword that I have was his that he made…..so I always have something of him to remember him by."

"Did you stay with your brother after he passed away?" Robin asks.

I'm about to tell him about hunting down Delvin but catch myself. "Yes." I nod. "Isaac helped me get through it all… he saved me in a way."

Putting an arm behind his head, Robin tilts his head to the side. "Saved you?"

"Yeah…"I quickly look at the grass as I feel the heat rise to my cheeks. Discussing things like this, so deep and personal, hasn't been an easy thing for me since Will's passing. "I felt to…alone. So lost without Will that I wanted the man who betrayed us to suffer as much as I did."

"I know how that feels." Robin says. Our conversation eventually tapers off and we start talking about Midsummer Eve again when I hear a twig snap. I instantly go on alert and focus all my attention. Robin gives me a questioning look but I keep completely still. "Did you hear that?" I ask quietly.

Robin looks out at the forest. "Animal?"

I wait for another sound but receive only science. "I don't know but we should head back to camp…just in case."

"You're right." Robin agrees. He moves over from the branch and stands up and I slide off the branch.

"You can go ahead of me… I'm going to walk around a little before heading back." I say. He gives me a unsure look. "I'll be fine." I smile. "I promise. The sound got me a little jumpy so I'm gonna calm down a little."

He nods. "Alright…. See you at camp." I wait a few minutes after he disappears before following. I walk slowly and silently, listening for any sound. A few feet in I feel a hand on my arm and spin them around, pinning them against a tree with my dagger pressed to their throat. My grip tightens on my knife as I hear a chuckle. "Good to see you too, sis."

My eyes widen as my eyes adjust to see Isaac. "Isaac?" I say releasing him. "What are you doing out here?"

"I can ask you the same thing." He chuckles. "You never told me about your little secret rendezvouses with Robin Hood."

"We couldn't sleep and he wanted to talk." I say.

"Uh huh…what was with the whole hand touching stuff then?" He smirks as he imitates with his hands and I hit his arm. "Nothing." I growl, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks again. "How long had you been spying on us?"

He shrugs and leans against the tree. "Not long. Just since Robin started talking about Midsummer Eve and the bonfire thing."

It's a good thing it's dark since I am blushing. That means Isaac heard all the deep personal things about how he saved me. Weirdly he doesn't tease me about it. Instead he gets down to business. "So learn anything new that we can use?"

"Well he usually comes out here when he can't sleep because of the nightmares…"

"Did he say what they were about?" Isaac asks.

"His time in the Holy Land when he was a soldier for King Richard. Not really useful for us." As I say thing, I remember Robin telling me about the three men I killed. "But he did tell me one thing…."

"That's great! What is it?"

I swallow the lump forming in my throat. "His gang was in Barnsdale around the same time we were."

"Really?" Isaac asks, surprised.

"Yeah….and they saw the camp with the three men I killed."

His eyes widen. "What?! Doesn't he know it was you?"

"I don't believe so…. I never knew he was up there…" I say, still reeling.

"We never knew we'd have this mission either." Isaac points out. "We didn't really know what was going to happen with Delvin or anything like that."

"True…"

"Did you find out anything else?" He asks. "Anything of use?"

I shake my head. "Not really. I try not to push him for information. I don't need him being suspicious."

"Not after the Much situation today." Isaac chuckles.

"Like I said before, I have a plan to deal with that. Leave it to me." I look up at the sky for a moment then back at Isaac. "We better get back to camp and no more discussion of this for now."

Isaac nods in understanding and follows me back to camp.

Early the next morning, before I head off into the forest with Will to hunt, Robin tells us that after we eat, we'll be packing up our camp and heading up to Loxley Village to help set up for their Midsummer Eve festival since Guy of Gisborne won't be showing up due to an altercation in Chesterfield. Will was grabbing his things for the hunt when I overhear Much talking to Isaac, asking him to go into town to buy some fruits for the journey. He hands him some money and I take the opportunity to pull him aside for a moment. I give him instructions to hire a courier to tell Guy we'll be there in Loxley and await further meeting information. "Understand?" I ask him, feeling Much's suspicious gaze trained on me.

He nods before saying loud enough for Much to hear, "Yes, I'll see what I can do for buying you a sweet roll with whatever I have left of my own money."

I smile at him. "What a good brother you are." I cast a glance at Much, who purses his lips. Resisting the urge to smirk, I press a coin into Isaac's palm and lean in to hug him. "To avoid suspicion, here's some money to get a sweet roll… I'm going to give it as a gift to Much. As we pull away, he raises an eyebrow at me. "Peace offering?" I smile.

He's about to say something when Will walks over to me. "Ready?" He asks, casting a glance at Isaac.

"Yeah." I smile at Will and nod to Isaac. "See you later."

He nods and we depart, Isaac in one direction, Will and I in the other. We walk in silence for a little while before I speak up. "So Will…."

He looks over at me. "Yes?"

"You don't speak much, do you?"

He shrugs. "I do, but only when I feel the need to." He pauses a moment to look around us for any sign of prey then continues. "When Djaq was still traveling with us…"

"Djaq?" I ask. "Who was he?"

Will chuckles. "She. She's my wife."

I raise an eyebrow at him. "You're married?"

"Yes. Robin married us two years ago." Will says smiling at the memory.

"What happened to her?" I asked. "Did she pass away or something?"

Will shakes his head. "No, she's alive. She lives in Loxley right now in a small cottage, thanks to Robin. She helps out the village doctor."

"Oh! Why aren't you living in Loxley with her?" I ask.

"I was for about a year until the Sheriff and Gisborne started to wreak havoc in the village and threatened to cut out her tongue if nobody came forward with information on Robin's whereabouts. I said I knew and that I would lead them to the camp so that they would leave her alone. She begged me not to do it but they followed me into the woods. I whistled our distress signal and a few moments later, Robin and the rest of the gang surrounded them, we fought until it was down to three guards, Gisborne and the Sheriff." Will shrugs. "The cowards fled and I was declared an outlaw making it difficult to return."

I frown. "How did your wife feel about this?"

"She wasn't very happy about it." Will says, letting out a sigh. "She offered to come back to the gang with me but Robin helped me convince her that it was best that she stay in Loxley and be our inside source on everything happening and continue to help everybody with her remedies and cures."

"So when you're gone for a day or so, is that where you are? Visiting your wife?"

He nods. "Yes and luckily today I'll be able to spend time with her during the festival." He smiles. "You'll get to meet her."

"Great!" I smile. Inwardly I smirk. The more information I'm able to get, the better I am.

We return to the camp, or what used to be a camp to find everybody mostly packed up with Much tending the fire and stirring a large pot. He looks over at us with a couple waterfowl and quickly stands. "About time you get back!" He says more to me than Will.

"There wasn't many animals around." Will explains calmly. "We were about to turn back when Eva spotted some waterfowl."

Much purses his lips and looks between us. "Well….god job then."

"You're very welcome, your highness!" I say jokingly, dipping into a mock curtsy. I hear the other chuckle and Much's cheeks redden. Will nudges me and motions off to the side. "Help me with the birds?"

"Yeah…give me a moment?" I ask.

He looks at Much then back at me and nods. "Sure." He walks over to the side and I turn to Much.

"Much…" I gently touch his arm but he immediately shrinks away and glares at me.

"What?" He snaps. Pushing away the urge to snap back, I take a breath.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry." I start. "I was only joking around and didn't mean to embarrass you…."He turns back to his stew and stirs it, muttering, "I wasn't embarrassed…"

"Oh…well I still apologize." I wait a moment for a response but he remains silent. I touch his arm. "Much?"

Pulling his arm away again, he glares at me once more. "Go help Will so I can cook it."

Raising my hands in surrender I start to back away. "Alright….again….sorry." As I turn away I hear him mutter under his breath, "I used to be a noble….maybe not for long…."

I rejoin Will and help him with the waterfowls while, every once in a while, glancing around at the others. Isaac was sitting with Alan and Little John while Much tended to his stew and Robin sat near a tree, fiddling with one of his arrows.

Curiosity gnaws at me until I can't take it anymore. "Will…." I say casually.

He looks up at me and raises an eyebrow at me. "Before I walked away, Much muttered that he used to be a nobleman?"

He glances at Much and nods. "He was for a short while. Earl of Bonchurch."

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. "An Earl? Really? But I thought he was Robin's manservant?" I look over at Much.

"He is…or was…." Will frowns. "It's a little complicated."

"I see…"

"You see…. Much has been with Robin since the Holy War." Will explains. "When they came home, Robin made Much a free man and promised him the household of Bonchurch…."

I frown. "How is Robin able to do that?"

He glances at Robin. "Before he became an outlaw, Robin was the Earl of Loxley."

"But I thought Guy—"

Will shakes his head. "After Robin was declared an outlaw, the Sheriff let Gisborne move into Robin's manor so he could keep an eye on everything. Robin still checks on things every so often but since Marion passed away, he's done it less frequently. Maybe seeing her old house is still too painful."

Frowning, I nod. "I can understand that. Going back to where my husband and I lived after he died was tough."

Will shakes his head. "I wouldn't know what to do if I ever lost Djaq…."

Feeling tears start to form, I quickly change the subject. "So her name is Djaq? That's a very unusual name."

Will chuckles. "It is. It isn't her real name….her brother died and in his memory, she chose to go by his name and dress as a man."

"I see…. That definitely clears things up a little." I give him a smile and receive one in return before we focus on the birds once more.


	15. Djaq

**_A/N: So...I've had this chapter done for weeks now but haven't had time to update or write more since I've been super busy with school (YAY COLLEGE!) so...my bad. Sorry. Anywho... here ye go! :) Hopefully I'll be able to write and update some more really soon!_**

**_Take care Peepz!_**

Much ignored me for the entire meal and majority of the journey to Loxley as well. In the forest that borders Loxley Village, Robin holds up his hand to make us stop while he scopes out the area, most likely for any sightings of the Sheriff or Gisborne. Seeing that it is clear, he motions for us and we start to follow him.

Loxley village is buzzing with activity as everybody is getting ready for the festivities. We stop in the middle of the village and take it all in. I glance over at Robin and see his eyes lit up and smiling. He turns to me, motioning to it all. "Welcome to Loxley." He smiles. "The birthplace of Robin Hood."

"You were born here?" I ask as I look around. "It's so full of life!"

He looks around once more, looking like a proud father. I'm about to ask him more about the place when I feel somebody tap my arm. I look over at Will. "Come with me. I'll introduce you to Djaq."

"Sure!" I smile. "Mind if Isaac tags along? I'm sure he'd love to meet her too."

Will shrugs. "Sure." I tell Robin we'll be right back, I grab Isaac's arm and pull him aside. We follow a little bit behind him. "When we start to help people set up, I'll try to find a courier to send a message to Guy to meet us at Loxley Manor as soon as it gets dark." I say just loud enough for Isaac to hear. "We'll knock three times on the back entrance. I'll go inside while you keep watch for Robin or anybody else from the gang and whistle to alert me."

Isaac nods. "And you'll tell him about the Much problem?"

"Yes and update him on any information we have up to that point."

Will slowed down a little and knocks on the door of a small cottage and wait. "One moment!" We hear from inside. A moment later the door opens to reveal a Saracen woman with short black hair. Isaac gives me a confused look. "Who's that?" He whispers.

"Will's wife." I grin."Djaq."

"Will!" She exclaims, embracing him. She gives him a kiss. "I'm so glad you're here for Midsummer Eve! I've missed you. Is it just you or is the whole gang here too?" She tries to look behind him as he takes her hands in his. "Where's Robin?"

"I've missed you too…" Will chuckles. "The whole gang is out helping the rest of Loxley get ready for tonight, including Robin."

Glancing behind her husband, she finally notices us. "Who are your companions?"

Stepping aside, he wraps an arm around his wife's back and motions to us. "Djaq, this is Eva and Isaac. The two newest member to the Robin's gang." He looks at us. "And this," He says motioning to Djaq," Is my wife Djaq."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Scarlet." Isaac says with a courteous bow. She nods and looks over to examine me.

"Will has told me a lot about you during our hunts." I say with a smile. "It's nice to finally but a face to the name."

"Oh has he?" She says grinning at her husband. He beams at her and she turns her attention back to us. "It is nice to meet you both. I have a lot to do to prepare for tonight so if you'd like to help?" She looks at us expectedly and Isaac is about to answer when Will speaks up.

"They should probably go check in with Robin first to see if he had any assignments specifically for them." He turns to us and explains. "Since you're both new, Robin might want to give you both an explanation of how Loxley festivals are done."

I nod and nudge Isaac before looking back at Djaq. "It was great meeting you Djaq." I say with a smile. "We'll see you later on tonight?"

"It was nice meeting you both as well." She says. "I'll see you two a little later."

Isaac and I take our leave and start making our way back to Robin. "Well she seems nice." Isaac muses. "How did you know that he was married?"

I smirk. "He told me when we were out hunting this morning."

"Is this something we should tell Guy?" He asks seriously. I think about this for a moment before shaking my head.

"Not yet. If anything was to suddenly happen to her, it would get back to Robin and raise suspicion since we're the last people to meet her."

He gives me a questioning look. "I see your point but… why would they go after her right away and blow our cover?"

Stopping, I look him in the eye. "Regardless of our deal, Guy and the Sheriff can't be fully trusted. If they knew that an inner link to Robin's gang lived here in Loxley, they'd use it and avoid having to pay a professional." I look around and lower my voice. "Besides, now they know we're assassins and have the ability to expose us whenever they please. As long as they have use of us, our freedom and resources to track down Delvin hangs in the balance. Let's just hope they keep their part of the deal."

"You don't think they will?" Isaac asks quietly.

I shrug. "If they really wanted to, after Hood is dead, they could easily arrest us and go through with the execution as they originally planned before I agreed to the deal." I scowl. "And I'll fall on my own sword before I let any of these fools get the pleasure of publicly executing me."

We find Robin talking to a middle aged woman when we quietly walk up. Robin looks over at us just as the woman picks up her bundle of sticks and starts walking away to help with the bonfires. "There you two are." He says with a smile.

"Hey Robin." Isaac greets. "Will sent us back to see if you had any special assignments for us."

"Hmm." Robin crosses his arms over is chest and looks around at the villagers, happily setting up for the festival. "There." He finally says pointing off in the distance. "The bakers will need some help making the cakes and other treats for tonight." He looks at me and grins. "Eva, I'm assigning you to baking duty."

Isaac scoffs and I glare at him. "As you wish." I say sarcastically, giving him a mock curtsy before grinning and walking in the direction of the baker's cottage.

Isaac watches as Eva walks away before turning to Robin. "She doesn't seem happy with that decision." Robin says. "Is she always this…tense?"

"Pretty much." Isaac chuckles. "She has her moments though." Robin nods as he looks at her. Making Isaac smirk. "I'm sure that she's just not happy about doing something she's terrible at."

Robin turns his attention back to him and raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Eva is a terrible cook and baker." Isaac chuckles. "When we were traveling, I fell ill and she had to take over with all the cooking. She tried her best but she burnt everything and everything she made tasted terrible."

Robin frowns. "Maybe assigning her to that wasn't the best idea…."

"Should I go help her out?" Isaac offers.

Robin nods. "That would be best. I'll come see how things are going after a while."

They part ways and Isaac runs to catch up with Eva.

I'm about a few feet away from the cottage when Isaac runs up alongside me. "I don't need a babysitter." I say, irritably.

"I know you don't." He says, catching his breath. "But Robin decided that I should come help you."

I examine his face. "You're lying. He didn't assign you over here."

He opens his mouth to object but after seeing my expression, stops. "Okay," He says truthfully. "He didn't assign me. I reminded him you suck at cooking and baking…"

"Hey!" I warn but he continues.

"So…I asked him if I should come help you and he said it'd be best so, here I am!"

"I'm not _that_ bad." I grumble.

He scoffs but says nothing. The couple inside the bakery are arguing with one another when we enter. A minute or two pass before they notice we're there and immediately stop. "Hello!" The woman greets us. "How can I help ye today?" She smiles at us and I glance at the man who rolls his eyes at his wife.

"Robin sent us over to help you with the baking…" Isaac says.

"And cooking." I input.

"Wonderful!" She beams, clasping her hands together. "How about one of you bakes and the other one helps with the actual food?" She asks, looking between us. I'm about to object but Isaac agrees to it before I have a chance. I give him a shocked look. "You'll be fine." He mouth before following the woman's husband.

"Alright! We have a lot to do by the time it gets dark!"

I frown as she looks at me expectantly. "I have a confession…"

"Okay?" She asks, raising an eyebrow.  
>"I can't bake….never really learned how." As I admit this, I feel the heat rise to my cheeks. They get hotter as she gives me a blank stare.<p>

"How do you care for your husband?" She asks, motioning towards Isaac.

"Isaac isn't my husband." I say, quickly. "He's my brother."

"Oh!" She looks at Isaac and blushes. "Oh… I'm sorry…"

She shrugs it off and starts to introduce me to the very messy world of baking.


	16. Midsummer Eve

The sun was beginning to set when the woman finally dismissed me from baking. Hands burnt, my hair a mess and covered in flour, I leave the cottage utterly exhausted. I attempt to dust myself off when I hear a chuckle off to the side and look over. Robin grins at me and raises an eyebrow.

"How'd it go?" He asks.

I let out a sigh and lean back against the doorframe. "A lot more exhausting than I thought it would be…"

He chuckles and picks some dough out of my hair. "It's a good look for you."

I give him an annoyed look. "You assigned me here." I point out.

"I did but…" He frowns and peeks into the cottage. "Where's Isaac? I sent him to help you?"

"The woman's husband took him to deal with the actual cooking…. hopefully he'll be done soon."

Just as I say this Alan walks over to us. He sees my messy appearance and smirks. "I'm not being funny but you look terrible." He chuckles. His smile fades as I scowl at him.

"Reporting in?" Robin asks. Alan turns his attention to him and he tells Robin about the rest of the gang's progress. Before he leaves us he turns his attention back to me. "Also Djaq asked me to tell you meet up with her after you were finished with Robin's task."

"Did she say why?" I ask, giving him a questing look.

He shakes his head. "Nope."

"Okay…" I leave the Robin and Alan and begin weaving through the people swarming home to get ready for the celebration. I arrive at Djaq's cottage just as Will opens the wooden door. He motions inside with a grin. "Djaq's inside. She's waiting for you."

He leaves and shuts the door behind him and I make my way through the cottage to the back which looks like a bedroom. "You wanted to see me?" I say as I entered small room.

She looks me over. "What did Robin have you do?" She chuckled. "You're a mess!" I catch a glance at myself in a mirror off to the side and feel the heat rise to my cheeks. I knew I was covered in flour but I didn't know how truly terrible I looked.

"I'll get you some water to clean up." Djaq says brushing past me. "Afterwards you can change into the outfit I put on the bed." She leaves the room and I look down on the bed where she had laid out a green linen peasant dress that fastened in the back. After a moment, she returns with a small basin and sets it on a table nearby and smiles at me. "If you need anything, just call."

I thank her and wait until she leaves the area before stripping off my flour covered clothes and clean up. I once clean, I slip on the dress and attempt to tie the back before finally giving in. "Djaq?" I call. I hear her soft footsteps until she enters the room and I point to my back. "Please?" I say with a smile.

She quietly walks over and pulls the laces and pauses. "Oh…" She says. I look over my shoulder at her and raise an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?"

"You have so many scars…."

I quickly turn my face away, cursing under my breath. How could I forget that my back is home to many scars due to the accidents I had when I was still a new assassin. I try to quickly think of an excuse.

"Yeah, I…um… my village was raided where Isaac and I are from and I was…attacked." I say quickly. Not the best excuse but she seemed to buy it.

"That's terrible…I'm so sorry."

I look over my shoulder at her and flash a small smile. "The past is the past. No need to dwell, you know?"

Her eyes meet mine and she nods. She finishes lacing up the back and asks me to turn around to see how it looks. I do as she says and she offers to braid my hair. By the time she finishes, Isaac is waiting for me just outside.

"Well! Look at you, sis!" He smirks. "Don't you look ravishing?"

I shoot him a glare and thank Djaq once more before walking off with Isaac. "Now remember…" I say casually. "Mid-celebration we'll sneak off—"

"I know, I know." Isaac cuts me off. "We sneak off to the manor and I keep watch while you talk to Guy." I give him a irritated look and he stops for a moment and rests his hands on my shoulders and turns me to look at him. "Eva, I remember what you said about the plan earlier." He says with a smile. "Trust me."

"Fine." I shrug his hands off and continue walking. "I was just making sure….don't interrupt me again." I growl.

Ahead of us in the middle of town, people are gathering around for the feast. The spread was simple but everything looked delicious. There was pickled herring, smoked fish, potatoes, strawberries, bread, cheese and ale spread out on tables outside homes. Everybody seemed so happy as they shared food with their neighbors. Drinking and merriment around the bonfires around town made me feel what a real home was like. What life was like when I was a young girl, helping my mother with the chores around the cottage…

My thoughts are interrupted when I feel Isaac place a hand on my shoulder. I jump slightly and glare at him. "What?"

He motions over to a table nearby. "Care to join me?"

Shrugging I follow him over to the table and sit down. While Isaac wolfed down food, I pick at my own, eating some every so often. A young woman sits next to Isaac and I can't help but notice how the woman bats her eyelashes and flirts. I smirk as I hear Isaac flirting in return.

After the feasting starts to end, drunken men start to sing and the festivities begin. Leaving Isaac to his amusements for now, I wander around the village, taking in the merriment when I come to a woman with a bowl of eggs on the table nearby. The woman was talking to a younger woman when I stroll over. The woman takes one of the eggs and cracks it into a smaller bowl. I watch as the older woman motions for the younger woman to look. The girl squeals with delight and thanks the woman before scampering off. Noticing my presence, she motions me over with a smile. "Did you want to try dear?"

"I'm not quite sure what it is you're doing."

"Divination eggs."

I give her a questioning look and am about to ask her what she's talking about when I hear a voice behind me.

"It's a tradition here in Loxley." I turn to see Robin leaning against the house, grinning. "Divination eggs is where you break a raw egg into a bowl and the yolk tells the breaker of something to come." He explains.

I think about this as I glance at the bowl of eggs. "I'm not really sure if I want to know of what's to come…" The words leave my lips before I'm able to catch myself.

Still grinning, Robin walks over to me and takes an egg from the bowl. "Here." He says holding it out to me. "Give it a try."

I take a breath for a moment before reluctantly taking the egg from his hand. The woman dumps the previous egg before putting the bowl back on the table. I break the egg and stare at the yolk before looking at Robin. "What does that mean?" I ask, glancing back at it.

The woman takes the bowl and examines it for a moment before looking up at me.

"What do you see?" Robin asks.

"I see a leaf…" She says with a slight pause.

"What does that mean?" I press.

"A leaf symbols a new life…." She smiles. "But…"

"But what?" I quickly ask. "Do you see something else?" My heart starts to pound. What if it reveals something about my betrayal? Can egg divination indicate that?

She glances at Robin before turning the image in the bowl upside down and holding it out for us to see. "Once turned around, I also see a heart." She grins at me. "Which means love."

"Oh…" I wait a moment before I glance at Robin who gives me a small smile. Heat rises to my cheeks and I look down for a moment. I mutter a quick 'thank you' and quickly walk off. Before I get far Robin grabs my hand.

"Eva!" He says with a chuckle. He turns me to look at him and gives me a lopsided grin. "I'm sorry if embarrassed you over there…"

Forcing myself to look him in the eye I plaster a smile on my face. "It's fine. It's just a silly game."

"Just a game?" He asks with a smirk. "I'm sure you wouldn't be blushing if it was only a silly game…"

I quickly look down, the heat rising from both my embarrassment and for my anger from getting embarrassed.

"Hey…" He says softly, touching my hand. I look up at him. "I forgot to mention how beautiful you look tonight."

Smiling, I look away. "I do?

"Yes, you do."

I look him in the eye once more. "Better than being covered in flour?"

"Much better…" He smiles. "And speaking of flowers and silly games…" From behind him he pulls out a rose and holds it up. "Behold! A midsummer rose."

"Wow…" I take the rose from him, careful not to grab a thorn. "It's beautiful Robin…" I hold it up to my nose and inhale a deep breath of the fragrance and smile at him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He smiles back. "Now, are you aware of the midsummer rose tradition?"

Shrugging, I shake my head.

"Well when a woman receives a midsummer rose on Midsummer Eve," He explains. "She thinks about a man she fancies and plucks one petal off at a time. With each petal she says 'he loves me, he loves me not…' until the very last petal is plucked."

"Then what?" I ask.

"Then whatever petal is left is how the man feels about her." He motions to the flower in my hands. "Go ahead." He smiles. "Try it."

I do as he asks and pick one petal off at a time, my gaze never leaving his face. "He loves me…" I say picking one off and letting it fall to the ground. I pick another. "He loves me not…" I do this until I get to the very last petal and pluck it. "He loves me…" I say softly. Robin steps a bit closer.

"Does he?" He whispers.

I smirk. "I don't know…do you love me Robin?"

Smiling, he leans in and just as our lips are about to touch we hear somebody call his name. He gives a small chuckle before straightening and turning to face Will as he approaches. "Yes Will?"

Looking between us, Will hesitates a moment before replying. "Sorry to interrupt… Djaq wanted to talk to you but we couldn't find you."

"It's fine… I'll be there in a moment."

Will glances at me once more before nodding and walking back in the direction he came. Chuckling, Robin turns back to me and gives me an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry… to be continued."

"Sounds good." I grin. He nods and walks off in the direction came from and I take a moment to calm my racing heart before going to find Isaac. I find him and the rest of the gang excluding Robin, Will and Little John sitting around some of the fires drinking and enjoying some female companionship. Isaac is with the young woman that was flirting with him earlier, Alan with two woman who look like they could be sisters while Much seemed rather cozy with a woman with fair hair. Little john is off almost on his own so I walk over near him and point to the ground next to him. "Is this seat taken?" I ask with a smile. He stops mid-sip of a tankard of ale to motion for me to sit. I sit down and survey my surroundings of people dancing and drinking. "So tell me, Little John." I say. "Why aren't you enjoying some female companionship like the rest of the gang?" I motion to the others and he takes another long drink.

"You're a female and currently my companion…"

I chuckle. "You know what I mean."

He takes another drink before saying. "I couldn't do that to Allison."

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Who's Allison?"

"My wife."

"I never knew you were married." I say making him crack a smile.

"I'm not…but I am." His smile disappears into a frown as he looks down at the flames as if to see a memory in the ashes. "It's complicated."

"I'm sorry…" I say before nudging him. "Maybe one of these days you can tell me all about it." I give him a smile and he returns it.

"Maybe."

To get off the sad subject of his wife, I motion over to Much and the fair haired woman with him, laughing and staying really close to one another. "So who's Much's friend? They look like they know each other."

His eyes move to look at the coupling. "That's Eve. During Much's time as a noble, Eve was one of his servants whom he liked." He then sneers. "She was working for the Sheriff and spying for him. Much didn't believe it until Robin proved to him that she was betraying him."

I watch them, furrowing my brow. "Wait, then why are they so close right now?"

John shrugs. "I think she proved that she had a change of heart or something."

I shake my head. "And yet he hates me?"

He shrugs. "I don't think he really hates you… he's just really protective of Robin."

"Yeah, I can see that…" I frown.

Isaac sat and talked with Sarra for a while until she grabbed his hand and lead him over to a group of villagers that are crowded around a small pool of water. "This, " She smiles as she motions to the wooden boat in the water. "is the wet-fire ceremony. You carve a wish into the boat or write it on a slip of paper and put it in the boat. Once ready, a candle is lit and put in the boat. If the boat makes it to the other side of the pool, your wish will come true. And if it goes out—"

"It won't." Isaac finishes.

"Yes." She grins. "Want to?"

Isaac shrugs and one of the men hand him the boat and a knife. Away from her gaze, he carves a wish into the boat and places it back on the water. Once everyone wrote/carved their wish the candle was lit and nudged so it'd travel across the pool of water. It stayed lit majority of the way and you could hear people praying and muttering pleads under their breath as it neared the edge. It makes it without extinguishing and the people cheer. Isaac turns and is immediately pulled into a kiss by Sarra. Once they separate she grins at him.

"How did you know that was my wish?" he teases with a smile.

"I guessed." She chuckles. Dancing around the bonfires starts up once again and Sarra pulls Isaac over to dance.

I join in and dance with men from the village, Robin and Alan. The more people joined in, the easier it was to quickly get separated from the group. Taking this opportune time, I make my way towards Isaac and motion for him to follow. He nods and we make a stealthy getaway and head towards the manor. Walking around to the back, I turn to face Isaac. "This is it." I say. "You keep guard out here and whistle if any of the gang start to notice our absence. Understand?"

He nods and I take a deep breath. "Good…wish me luck." He leans back against the door and I open the back door and step into the manor.


	17. Scars

**_A/N: Welcome back Graceaga! :) Thank you for telling me about the chapter. I had no idea that's what happened. It is now fixed though. :) Enjoy!_**

* * *

><p>Accompanied by two guards with lanterns, Guy rode quietly along an old path to Loxley. Nearing the village, Guy held up his hand for them to stop. He turns his horse to face his companions. "Stay here and don't rouse suspicion." He dismounts from his horse and hands the reins off to one of the men before turning and walking through the small wooded area towards the manor. Taking care to watch his surroundings for peasants or Hood's gang, he stalks toward the door of the empty manor. As his eyes adjust to the darkness, he makes out the silhouette of a man leaning by the door and straightens to his full length. "State your business." He says in a commanding tone to the man.<br>"Eva is already inside." Isaac replies, moving aside so Guy can open the door. Drawing a breath, Guy opens the door and steps into the darkened manor and closes the door behind him. Feeling his way through the darkness, he bumps into a chair and curses. As soon as the words leave his lips, a flame ignites nearby and a candle is lit. His senses on high alert he looks over near the candles, attempting to focus his eyes.  
>"Sir Guy." Eva says walking over to the table and setting the lit candle on it. "Is there someplace in here with no windows?"<br>His eyes finally focus and he nods. "Follow me." Grabbing the candle stick from the table he leads her down a small hallway to a wooden door. Taking out his key he unlocks it and leads her to the small cellar below and lights the torches while she takes a seat. With every torch lit, the room brightens, revealing the slightly cluttered area. Turning away from the last torch, he blows out the candle and starts towards the little table but stops. Noticing Eva's dress, his breath catches. "You're dressed up." He says, gruffly.  
>Her cheeks redden as she looks down. "Yeah… I was helping in the bakery and was covered in flour so she let me borrow her daughter's old dress."<br>"It looks nice…I mean, you look nice." He catches himself, scowling at his mess up.  
>"Thank you Sir Guy." She smiles. She stands up and walks around the room, running her finger across the dusty coverings of old portraits. Guy's gaze watches her every movement, never wavering.<br>"You said in your letter that we have a problem brewing. What is the problem?" Guy asks. "Is Hood getting suspicious?"  
>Glancing over her shoulder, Eva smirks. "Not one bit. It's not Hood I'm worried about. It's his right hand man, Much." She quickly turns to face him. "He's the only one in the entire group that doesn't trust me. He already tried to get me kicked out."<br>Guy crosses his arms over his chest. "So what do you propose we do?"  
>"I need to prove my worth." Eva grins. "Here's my plan… Robin hates to see Much and I at odds with one another so I bring up the idea to him for Much and I to go into town together for some "bonding" time. Once in town, I'll make an excuse to go grab something from one of the shops and in my absence, you have your men arrest him and lock him up in the dungeon. Torture him a little but not too badly."<br>Guy's brows knit together. "Torture? What for?"  
>"Torture him for information on Robin. He's one of Robin's loyalist men." She explains. "He won't say a peep."<br>"Once Robin gets wind of one of his men's capture, he'll suspect you had something to do with it and come with his gang to save him." Guy points out as he leans back against the wall.  
>Eva shakes her head. "He won't know about it until it's too late. I'll wait a little while and then I will go save him and bring him back to Robin. Much will see me as his savior and trust me and Robin will see me as a hero and trust me even more."<br>Guy takes this all in for a moment before speaking. "And what about you? When saving him you can't just walk in the front doors. It will arouse suspicion from the peasants that know you to be part of Robin's gang."  
>Eva grins. "Don't worry about me. I have my ways."<br>"But I'll need to warn the guards—" Guy starts to say but is quickly cut off.  
>"Don't warn them. I'll need them to attack me to make it look real. I can handle myself." She smiles. "Trust me."<br>A sharp rap on the wooden door makes them look away at the door. They wait a moment before there's another knock. Casting a glance at Eva, Guy draws his sword and advances towards the door. He throws open the door to reveal Isaac. "What?" Guy asks annoyed.  
>Isaac looks at between both Eva and Guy. "I whistled and waited but Eva didn't emerge from the manor so I came to find her."<br>"For what?" Guy asks but Eva was already making her way to the door.  
>"I told Isaac to keep watch and if any of the gang started wondering where we were, he'd whistle." She explains before turning her attention to Isaac. "What happened?"<br>"Well a drunken Much stumbled, literally, behind the manor where I was keeping watch and was attempting to have a conversation with me. After he left, a little while after I whistled and nobody came out, I peeked around the corner and saw Robin walking around asking if anybody seen you or me." He frowns. "I was worried so I came to find you to tell you that we need to end this little meeting before Robin starts looking here for us and puts two and two together."  
>Eva nods and tells Guy she'll sent a courtier with news on when the plan will take place and quickly follows Isaac out of the manor.<p>

"So what did you tell him?" Issac asks in a hushed tone as we sneak through the shadows near the forest to avoid detection. "Did you mention the Much problem?"  
>"I did." I nod. "I told him about my plan and he agreed to it."<br>"What's the plan?"  
>Pausing a moment I grin at him. "You'll see." We start walking once more with me in the lead.<br>"You mean I can't know?" He asks, sounding wounded. "Your own brother?"  
>"You're not my real brother." I chuckle. "I'm an only child."<br>"But I'm your Shadow Brother!" He says hotly. "Doesn't that count for anything?"  
>I stop abruptly and turn to face him making him almost run into me. Smiling, I grab his shoulders. "It does. The only reason I'm not telling you is because I haven't looked into the details just yet. Once I figure them out, I'll tell you. Deal?"<br>He sighs. "Fine. Did you tell him any new information?"  
>"Not yet." I frown. "We didn't have time."<br>Sticking to the shadows, we wind our way through clumps of cottages, stepping over some people passed out. We each grab a tankard on our way back to the celebration when I feel myself get lifted up from behind. Alarmed, I drop my tankard and quickly flip around, twisting their arm behind them.  
>"Bloody hell!" Alan exclaims. "You're hurting my arm!"<br>I quickly release him and he rubs his shoulder and frowns at me. "I was only joking around."  
>"Sorry…" I mutter.<br>"Not too long ago some guy who had too much to drink did the same thing, thinking it was his wife." Isaac quickly lies. "She probably thought it was him again."  
>"Oh, sorry." Alan says. "I didn't know that." He winces as he tries to move his arm. "I'm not being funny, that bloody hurt!"<br>"I said I'm sorry…" I frown.  
>Seeing my apologetic expression, he drops it. "Anyways, Robin is looking for you. Last I saw he was sitting with John near one of the bonfires."<br>I nod. "Thank you Alan and sorry about your arm. I'll go find him."  
>Still holding his arm, we walk past and I see Isaac grin at Alan as he clasps his shoulder. "Be careful around my sister. She's a feisty one."<br>"So I've noticed." I hear him mutter. We walk past bonfire after bonfire and I carefully look for Robin. We find him, as Alan had said, Sitting with John and talking while an intoxicated Much attempts to sing with some of the other men sitting nearby. As we come near, Robin's eyes glance over at me and remain as he smiles. "There you are!" He says, patting a spot next to him. "I've been looking for you."  
>I take a seat and notice no sign of Isaac. "So I've heard." I say, giving him a smile. Folding my legs before me, I lean back on my hands and look into the fire. "Was there something you needed, oh great leader?" I smirk at him and he chuckles.<br>"No real reason…" He leans toward me slightly and smiles. "I just wanted the pleasure of your company."  
>"Isn't that what John is for?" I ask jokingly.<br>"Me?" John snorts. "I'm not his type."  
>This earns a laugh from both Robin and I. Robin motions to John, "He's right. He's not."<p>

As the celebration comes to a close, everyone joins in on one last dance called 'Threading The Needle' in which we hold hands and dance around the bonfires. One the last person of the line reaches the last bonfire, men douse the fires and the celebration finally ends. People who are still standing and have not passed out from drinking start walking back to their homes. "So what do we do now?" I ask Robin.  
>"We head to the woods, make a small camp and sleep." He says. "In the morning we'll meet up with the rest of the gang and start heading back to Chesterfield."<br>"Meet up?" I ask, falling in step with him. "Aren't they coming back to the camp?"  
>He grins. "Much and Alan will most likely sleep wherever they pass out, Will is staying in his cottage with his wife so that leaves just you, Isaac, me and John at camp." He looks around. "Where is Isaac anyways?"<br>"Maybe he's with Sarra." I chuckle. "They were acting really friendly earlier."  
>Chuckling, Robin nods. "Okay, then that makes it just the three of us."<br>After finding our things we left in the woods, we make a small fire and sit around talking about the festivities. After a little while John was sleeping soundly with an occasional snore escaping. Robin and I sit close to one another so that we can talk quietly so not to disturb John.  
>"So be honest with me," Robin says, "Where did you get your scars?"<br>I give him a confused look. "I don't know what you mean…"  
>He reaches out to take my hands and turn them upwards. My jaw clenches as I see the slightly raised lines of healed skin on my wrists where Delvin slit my wrists. Robin's eyes watch my expression curiously as I look at my hands. With one wrist in each hand, he looks down and traces the lines with his thumbs. "I noticed them when we were at the waterfall but decided to wait before asking." He says softly.<br>Heartbeat quickening, I quickly look away. My mind grasps for an excuse fitting of the backstory Isaac and I told but finds nothing. I feel Robin's gaze on my face still as I feel him give my hands a little squeeze. "Eva…" He gives me a small smile. "Every scar has a story."  
>I let out a sigh, suddenly feeling drained. "The man who killed my husband tried to kill me…" I finally say. I look up to show the matching scar on my neck. "He slit my wrists and neck, hoping to make me bleed out." I lower my head and look at his face which was a mixture of shock and confusion.<br>"How are you still alive?"  
>I shrug. "I got lucky. Two people found me, gave me something to slow the bleeding and took care of me."<br>We sat in silence for a few minutes as Robin let this all sink in before he moved a little closer and tilted my head up and ran his thumb over the scar. "It seems you and I both have somebody looking out for us." He says. I look at him and our gaze locks. I give him a confused look and he smirks before moving back a little bit. He lifts up the bottom left of his shirt to show this angry puckered looking scar. My eyes widen slightly before looking at his face. "What happened?" I said a little too loud. John shifted in his sleep and Robin chuckled. "Shhh." He whispers as he puts his shirt back down. He moves closer once more. "I was wounded in the Holy Land. There was a Saracen attack on the King… Caught us unawares." He frowns. "I still have no idea how…." He shakes his had as if to clear away the memory.  
>"Is that why you returned?"<br>He smiles at me. "I had this same conversation with Marian. She asked the exact same question."  
>I look away as I feel the heat rise to my cheeks. "Oh… I'm sorry for the flashback."<br>I feel him take my hand and give it a light squeeze. "It's fine." He waits for a moment to see if I speak but continues when I remain silent. "Anyways, my stitching became infected and I took a fever…." He looks down at my hand where he absently rubs little circles into the back of my hand with his thumbs. "When I awoke the King had gone south, leaving orders for me to head home and fully recover."  
>"But then you went into the woods and never went back." I finish.<br>"Yeah…" He frowns and we sit in silence for a moment.  
>I slide onto my side and rest my head on my hand. "So how did Marion react when you came back?" I ask with a smile. "Tell me about her."<br>Looking up at me he grins. He lies down on his side as well, resting his head on his hand. "She wasn't the happiest with me. In fact she had me at arrow point when I came to see her and her father."  
>I give him a confused look. "Why?"<br>"Well we were engaged and I just ran off to fight for 5 years. I couldn't exactly be mad at her for giving up on me… she didn't know if I was going to make it back alive." He lies back and puts his arms behind his head. "Some days I wasn't even sure I'd make it back."  
>I lean over him slightly so I can see his face. "But you did. She should have been happy."<br>He smiles. "I'm sure she was deep down but… I hurt her. She had a lot of anger pent up."  
>"So how did you end up getting married?"<br>He shrugs. "Long story short, I tapped into that part deep down that still loved me and slowly earned back her trust."  
>"That's great that you did…" I smile. "And speak of earning trust…" I move closer and lean over him. "I would like to propose an opportunity for me to start gaining Much's trust."<br>Robin raises an eyebrow. "Go on."  
>Looking down at his chest, I move my hand to play with his neckline. "I would like to be sent on a drop off or any other mission with just Much." I smile at him. "It'd give us the opportunity to form a bond."<br>"What did you have in mind?"  
>"I was thinking that him and I can go to the market or maybe do a drop off together." I say. "What do you think?"<br>He thinks about this for a moment before slowly nodding. "It would be nice to see you two get along…."  
>"Is that a yes?" I chuckle.<br>"Yes." He says with a grin. "He won't be happy about it but I think it'll do you two some good to have some one on one time."  
>I smile and, out of my excitement, lean down and kiss him. After getting over his surprise, he kisses me back. He shifts so that his arms are free and wraps his arms around me in attempt to deepen the kiss only to have me put my hand on his chest to stop him. I give him a gentle push and reluctantly break the kiss. "It's getting late and we have a long journey back tomorrow…" I say, forcing a smile. "You should get some rest."<br>"Yeah…" He nods, still looking at me. "That would be best."  
>"Goodnight Robin."<br>"Goodnight Eva…" He says.  
>Giving him a quick peck on the cheek, I wrap my cloak around me and roll over, facing away from him and try to calm my racing heart.<p> 


	18. Heroes and Suspicion

The sun is just barely peeking over the trees of the nearby woods when Isaac rises from the stack of hay he had fallen asleep in while hiding from a very drunk Much. Rising to his feet, he dusts himself off and makes his way out of the stables, stepping over sleeping bodies. Strolling over to a nearby well, he drops a bucket in and brings it up before dipping his hands into the cool water to clean his hands and face.

The early morning silence is broken when commotion coming from a nearby cottage. Isaac looks over in the direction of the noise just as the door flung open and a man is thrown out face first to the ground. A bulky man stands in the doorway and threatens the man, whom is now scrambling to his feet.

"You better stay away from my daughter!" The bulky man yells.

Quickly scurrying to his feet, the man holds his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "I was unaware that she was engaged!" The man, who sounded familiar, tried to explain. "Besides, she never said anything when she was all over –"

The father punched him straight in the face, sending the man back down to the ground, holding his face. Satisfied, the father smirks and says something else before disappearing into the cottage and slamming the door behind him. Isaac glances at the door to see if the man will come out again. Moments pass and the door remains shut so he makes his way over to the man on the ground. He had just pulled himself to a sitting position when Isaac approached him.

"Are you alright?" Isaac asks. As he gets closer he recognizes the man's clothes. "Alan?"

His hand holding his nose, Alan turns and looks up at Isaac. "Isaac! Did Robin send you to fetch me?"

Isaac shakes his head. "No, I just woke up a few minutes ago and saw the little altercation you just had."

"Oh…" Alan says looking away. "Can we keep this just between us? Don't even tell Eva."

Isaac raises an eyebrow. "Why can't I tell my sister?"

Alan shrugs. "Her and Robin are becoming really close and I don't want her to tell him."

Isaac gives him a knowing smile. "I don't think she's one to tell secrets."

"She's a woman, Isaac." Alan says matter-of-factly. "Woman love to gossip. They can't resist." After he says this he abruptly adds, "Don't tell her I said that. I can't handle having my ass kicked twice today."

Isaac chuckles and shakes his head. "I won't tell her or anybody, I promise." He looks down at Alan's scarf around his neck and frowns at the crimson dripping into it. "However, if you don't want Robin to question you, we should get you cleaned up. You're bleeding all over the place." Stepping behind him, Isaac grabbed under Alan's arms and hoisted him up onto his feet before leading him over to the nearby well.

"I'm not being funny but I think he broke it!" Alan says as Isaac looks around for something nearby to use as a rag. Finding nothing useful, he takes out his dagger and is about to cut a piece of cloth out of his tunic when Alan stops him.

"Use my scarf." He says. "We'll just try to clean it out afterwards."

Isaac nods. "Good idea." He puts his dagger away and eases Alan's scarf off and submerges it in the bucket of well water. "Alan, I'm going to need you to hold your nose shut to stop the bleeding."

Alan struggles for a moment until Isaac shows him where to pinch. "Okay, now tilt your head back a little and stay that way until the blood starts to slow."

Alan does as he's told and leans against the well as he waits. "So how do you know all this?"

"My mum taught me." Isaac lies as he tries to scrub the blood stains from the scarf. I had a lot of nosebleeds as a child." Alan raises an eyebrow at him and he smirks. "I got into a lot of fights."

Moments pass in silence, broken every so often when Isaac asked Alan to release his nose to check if the bleeding stopped. Once it finally did, Isaac hands his soaked scarf back to him so he can clean the now dried blood off his face and hands. Once clean, Alan splashes some water on his face and fixes his messed up hair before following Isaac back to camp.

"So you never told me why you were still in the village this morning." Alan says with a smirk. "Was your night eventful as well?"

"Not really." Isaac said cracking a smile. "I fell asleep in the stables on some hay when hiding from Much."

"Why were you hiding from him?" Alan asks.

"Well, in his drunken state, he asked me to join him and Eve. Something about being the snake while he was Adam…." As soon as he said this they both burst out laughing.

"I don't blame you." Alan chuckles. "When Marion was still around, during a celebration Much drank so much that he threw up on Little John's boots and then an hour later told him he had 'very kind eyes'." They burst into another round of laughter before quickly change the subject as they get closer to camp. Entering, they notice that everybody including Djaq is present except Much.

"Welcome back." Robin greets the men as they step into the clearing. He glances behind them and frowns. "Where's Much?"

"We thought he already headed back." Alan replies. "We didn't see him in the village."

Robin lets out a sigh. "Somebody needs to go find him so we can eat and start heading back. Rumor has it that Gisborne has been lurking around."

Isaac looks over at Eva and their eyes meet for a moment knowingly before looking away.

"You don't think…" Alan starts to say.

Robin crosses his arms over his chest, frowning. "I don't know… let's check the village first before jumping to conclusions. He might just be passed out somewhere."

"I'll go find him since I was the last person to see him last night." Isaac volunteers. Alan snickers causing Robin to give him a questioning look. John nudges him hard in the side to quiet him. Robin waits a moment before turning his attention to Isaac. "Thanks for volunteering Isaac," He starts to say before glancing at Eva. "But I think this time I'll send Eva to find him." He gives her a small smile.

Heat rises to my cheeks as he smiles at me but I nod. "As you wish." Straightening from the tree I was leaning against, I grab my sword and scabbard and fasten it to my belt.

I enter the village as people are just starting to get back to their daily lives. I walk past people starting on their morning chores. I circle the village a few times, carefully scanning the people around me for any sign of Much. With no sign of him, I finally resort to asking some of the villagers. Many of the people I talk to hadn't seen him since the night before or at all until I overheard the Blacksmith talking to his apprentice.

"Didn't you see who Gisborne's men hauled off this morning? One of Robin Hood's men!"

"Really?" The apprentice asks, astonished. "Which one?"

"I'm not quite sure…" The Blacksmith says. "He was a smaller fella…"

Anger flared through me as soon as I hear this. Quickly, I make my way to the stables where a sleepy eyed boy sits on a stack of hay. As I approach, he looks up at me lazily.

"Ready a horse for me immediately and I'll buy you two sweet rolls." I say quickly. As soon as I made my offer the boy's eyes grow wide.

"But my master…"

"Three sweet rolls then?" I ask impatiently. "Four if you hurry."

I didn't think it was possible but his eyes widened even more and he nodded. He quickly hops off the hay stack and starts readying the horse. Clenching my jaw, I pace back and forth until the boy is finished. Mounting, I toss a small purse of money to the boy. "Here, buy however many sweet rolls you want." I then race off without another word to Nottingham.

The early morning air bites at face but the heat from the anger surging through me keeps me from feeling the chill. How dare they arrest him before my plan has time to fall into place! With my quickened pace, I reach the castle stables close to mid-day. I quickly hop off the horse and hand the reins off to a confused groom before striding towards the servant entrance to the kitchens. Cooks and servitors alike gave me confused looks as they try to tell me to stop. Pulling out my sword, I hold it out threateningly. "Back off or I will slit your throats." I growl. Frightened, they back off and I sheath my sword. Glaring at them I continue on into the corridors leading to the sheriff's office. One of the cooks call out for a guard from behind me causing one of the guards to stop me mid-stride.

"You're not supposed to be in here, peasant." He growls.

"Do I look like a bloody peasant to you?" I snarl as I push him back into a table.

The Sheriff sits in his chair signing a warrant when he hears a commotion in the hallway. "Oh, what can that be now!" He complains, looking up at the door. "Gisborne! Go find out what all the noise is about!" He barks. Rolling his eyes, Guy walks toward the door and opens the door just as a guard slides across the floor. "What the—" He mutters before stepping out into the hall. He opens his mouth to start to yelling but stops as he sees an enraged Eva stomping towards him. His heartbeat quickens. "Eva… What are you—"

"Where is he?" She fumes. "Where is that snake who—", She stops an inch before him before turning to looking into room where the Sheriff is. Sneering, she storms inside and slams her fists down on the table causing the Sheriff to give her a bored look. "Ah, hello Eva." He says calmly as he puts away his quill. He leans back in his chair and presses his fingertips together to make a steeple. "And what do I owe the honor?" He gives her a sarcastic smile.

"I think you know exactly why I'm here, you bastard!" I yell. "Why did you arrest him? I specifically told Gisborne last night I would send a courier to inform you when the arrest was to take place."

Guy steps forward from near the door. "Eva, I—"

I quickly turn to him. "Quiet!" I snap before turning my attention back to the Sheriff. "Now explain yourself."

"Yes, Gisborne informed me of your little plan last night." The sheriff says with a wave of his hand. "But you see, one of my guards caught your little friend trying to take crops from Gisborne's land."

I roll my eyes. "He was drunk!"

Slamming his fists on the table he leans forward, his face turning red. "He's a thief!" We glare at each other for a moment before he takes a deep breath and resumes his previous pose. "Besides, I saw an opportunity and took it. You should be grateful." He gives me a smirk. "I sped things up. Think of it this way… the sooner you two become the best of friends, the closer you'll get to Hood and the sooner you can kill him and we can go our separate ways with you leaving a lot richer."

"King John hired me because I am one of the best assassins in England. He paid me to deal with Hood and yet here you are screwing up my plans. I had a plan to gain trust of Hood's right hand man and yet you almost blow my cover by arresting him!"

His smirk falters. "What do you mean?"

"Well you see, my "little friend" that you arrested and have locked up never showed back up to camp this morning. Luckily there was a celebration the night before so everybody figured he was passed out somewhere in the village." I explain. "I had convinced Robin last night to send me out on a drop off with Much for some "bonding time". With this in mind, when figuring out who should go look for him, Robin chose me."

"Your point?" He asks.

"My point is that once word gets back to Robin and the gang that Much has been arrested and taken to Nottingham, they will be on their way and the whole plan to get on Much's good side will be all for not. If they all come here to try breaking him out, Much will have one more reason to be suspicious of me. Robin will then also put 2 and 2 together and will start to suspect me as well." I lean toward him on the table. "And then all our plans and progress made so far will be for nothing."

"I see…" He says. "So if we have, as you put it, Hood's right hand man in a cell at this very moment, why would we need you anymore when we can just get Mulch—"

"Much." I correct.

"Whatever his name is, it doesn't matter " He waves me off. "We can just get him to tell us Hood's whereabouts, find Hood ourselves and kill him ourselves."

"Um, my lord…" Guy imputs.

"What?" The Sheriff snaps.

Guy glances at me for a moment. "We've tried to get people from Robin's gang to talk but we have yet to be successful."

Gisborne and I look at him expectantly for a moment. Moments pass in silence before I roll my eyes. "Looks like I'll have to clean up this mess myself."

Taking a break from his sulking, the Sheriff looks up at me. "How?"

"You'll see." I start to walk out the room when Gisborne grabs my arm as I walk past. I glare at him.

"I had no idea about the arrest until early this morning." He says. Pulling my arm away I sneer at him and leave the room. A few feet from the door, I wait to see if he's going to follow me to try and beg forgiveness. When he doesn't emerge from the room, I slip away towards the dungeon. Sticking to the shadows, I slip past the two guards patrolling the hall and slowly descend down the stone steps until I find one lone guard standing in front of the door leading to the holding cells. Crouched in the shadows, I take a moment to look him over and take mental note of the large ring of keys attached to his belt. Straightening to my full height I casually walk up to him.

"Halt." The man says as I approach. "Who are you? Do you have authorization to be down here?"

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Does it matter?"

The guard eyes me for a moment before placing his hand on the pommel of his sword. "I think you should turn back around unless you have authorization to be down here."

"And if I don't?"

His hand grabs onto the grip, readying himself to strike. "Leave, woman." He growls.

"No."

"I warned you!" He unsheathes his sword and so do I. He swings at me but I jump back onto the stone steps. Landing awkwardly, I tumble backward.. He swings down at me and I deflect it with my sword and kick him just below his ribcage with both of my feet. He stumbles backwards and I hit him on his arm with the flat side of my blade. It would have been a lot simpler to kill him but if Much would have seen a dead guard on his way out, my heroic rescue would be questioned. No, killing wasn't an option unless in a life or death situation.

Catching his balance, the guard lets out a cry as he runs at me with the tip of his sword facing me. I quickly step aside and let him fall onto the steps before pushing my boot to his back and removing his helmet. By now the guard is cursing at me as he pushes himself up and swings back with his arm and catches me in the chest, flinging me back against the wall. I take a moment to catch my breath as he fumbles for his sword. Sword in hand, he rises and starts to turn towards me but I knock him upside the head as hard as I can with his helmet. As soon as the metal helmet makes contact, the guard slumps down into an unconscious heap. "Stupid bastard." I mutter as I bend over and retrieve the ring of keys from his belt. I straighten and take a moment to fully catch my breath. When his arm unexpectedly flung back and struck me, the wind was knocked out of me. Once my temporary breathlessness recedes, I straighten myself up and unlock the door and step inside.

The disgusting stench of the dungeon sweeps over me and I wrinkle my nose. I guess when I was in here when Isaac and I were captured, I was so full of rage that I never really noticed it. Either that or something died recently. Suddenly I remembered the idea I had about torturing Much and frown. "Please Much don't be dead…" I mutter to myself as I slowly walk through the dungeon. "Much?" I call. I wait for a moment with no response. I quicken my pace. "Much!" I call again. My heartbeat quickens until I hear a faint movement from one of the further cells. "Much." I say as I get closer. I'm about 2 paces away when I see a figure huddled on the floor. "Much?" I ask. Hearing his name, he rises his head to look at me. "Eva?" He says, his voice raspy. "Where's Robin?"

"He's back in camp." I reply. "It's only me here. I'm here to break you out." I fumble with the keys for a moment and get it into the keyhole when Much tells me "No". I look up at him.

"Much, we need to get back to camp."

"No." He says as sternly as he can muster. "You're just pretending to come save me. I know you're one of them!"

"Much, don't be foolish. I have the keys right here so—"

"No!" He slowly rises from the floor and shakily walks over to the metal frame that separates us. He stumbles slightly and grabs the bars to steady himself. I quickly look away as I see his condition in light of a nearby torch. His face is bruised with one eye almost swollen shut and he has a few cuts on his cheek, the blood now dried. His lip is split open and there are various other cuts on his arms and legs. What mainly caught my eye was dried blood stains on his worn wool clothes. They stripped him of his clothes and tortured him far more than I intended.

"Look what they did." He says, his split open lower lip shaking. "Look what your friends did!"

"They're not my friends, Much." I say softly. I look him in his good eye. "We need to get back to camp. Djaq will help bandage you up."

"No." He croaks. "I'll wait for Robin."

I sigh, impatiently. "He's not coming, Much. Robin doesn't even know you're here." I can tell he's trying to stay strong but I see the sadness in his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Robin sent me into the village to find you but then I overheard some of the villagers talking about how you got arrested. I never went back to tell Robin for fear of what was going to be done to you if I wasted time." I explain. "Instead of checking in with him, I immediately started making my way here to rescue you."

He's falls silent and I look over in the direction of the open doorway then back at Much. "I intend to rescue you, whether or not you cooperate. Being that you are Robin's best friend and part of his gang, I can't just stand here and let you get hurt any more than you currently are. Now, I'll be right back. I have an idea." I take the key out of the lock and open the cell next to Much's. He remains where he is and watches me walk back over to the doorway. I drag the unconscious guard into the empty cell and lie him on the makeshift cot. "What are you doing?" Much asks.

"Well the only way you'll be able to get out of here safely is by a guard escorting you." I reply as I strip off the guard's uniform, piece by piece. "You are in no shape to help fight our way out so I will be the guard to escort you out of here."

"But you're a woman." He points out. "All the guards are men."

I look over at him. "Do you have any better ideas?" He stays quiet and I nod. "That's what I thought."

Once the guard's uniform is fully removed, put it on over my normal clothes and wait a moment to get used to the weight of the extra garments before grabbing the helmet and putting it on. I stash the guard's sword and scabbard under some hay on the floor. Once fully suited, I unlock Much's cell and help him out when we hear the heavy door at the top of the stairs open and hear another guard coming down. "Hold your hands behind your back like they're bound." I whisper. He nods and watch as he does as he's told, wincing with every movement. I stand closely behind him to both hide his unbound hands and my chest and nudge him forward. The new guard looks at him and then me. "What is the prisoner doing outside his cell?" The guard asks.

"Captain told me to bring him to the chamber for more questioning." I reply, deepening my voice. I wasn't very convincing but he looked at us before accepting it and walking past us into the dungeon. As soon as he was out of earshot I whispered to Much, "Walk as quickly as you can."

We had just made it to the top of the stairs when the unconscious guard was found and the other guard was yelling "Get them!"

Slinging Much's arm over my shoulders, we quickly go down hallway after hallway before ducking into a dark corner as a group of guards rush past us. Much makes a slight noise and one of them stops to look around. I notice that he's an archer and wait for him to get closer. As soon as he walks close enough, I hit him in the head with my elbow. The first try knocks off his helmet so I try again. He ducks it and turns to face me and instead has his head collide into wall with help from Much. "Nicely done." I say earning a weak smile. Once clear, I take the guard's bow and quiver full of arrows and sling them on my back before helping Much limp down the rest of the hallway. We make it near the kitchen when somebody behind us yells for us to stop. I turn to see a guard running after us. "Stay here." I tell much before turning and readying my bow. I quickly reach for and arrow and shoot it at his stomach. It hits him but only slows him down.

"Head outside!" I call to Much. "I'll meet you out there." He hobbles into the kitchen and I turn my attention back to the guard and fire another arrow, striking him in the chest. He goes down and I ready another arrow as I walk down the hallway. I find the room where they keep confiscated prisoner possessions where a guard is sitting down at a table eating. Luckily for me, this one isn't wearing a helmet. As quietly as I can, I walk up behind him and lean towards his ear. "Sorry about this." I whisper. Before he can react, I slam his head into the table repeatedly. Once knocked out, I remove the guard uniform and put it in the corner then scurry over to the chest full of clothes, knives and other things and pull out whatever looks like Much's before quickly leaving. I sprint out of the room and to the kitchen and out the servant's entrance. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the sunlight but then I look around and find him leaning against the stables looking pale and weakened. I frown as I walk over. "How are you doing?"

He looks up at me, heavily breathing from the exertion. "Tired and weak but I'm alive… thanks to you." Giving him a small smile, I nod.

"Well it's not over just yet. Now we have to get back to camp." As soon as Much isn't looking, I motion to the groom to get my horse. "We'll have to ride. It's too long of a walk and the guards should be in pursue any minute."

"Do I have a choice?" He asks miserably.

"No...Not really." I say sadly. "Come on."

Taking his arm, I lead him over to my horse and help him on. This wasn't easy for him to stay up in his weakened state, but he manages to hold on long enough until sling the bow on my shoulder and climb on behind him, putting his clothes between us. I grab the reins so I'm able to help him stay on and start off. We aren't far when suddenly I let out a cry as I feel a sharp pain in my upper arm. I look and find an arrow sticking out of it. Cursing under my breath, I suck in a breath, break off the shaft of the arrow and dig my heels into the horse's sides to go faster. The trip is taxing on us both due to injuries but we make it to a small town not far from Locksley to stop and rest for a moment. I scrounge up a few coins from what's left of my money and buy a small chunk of bread and split it with Much. With his split open slip and his weakened state, it takes him a while but I wait patiently until he finishes before we mount once more and continue.

"Eva." I hear Much say as we barely make it to the outside of Locksley.

"Yes Much?"

"I'm sorry."

I wait a moment. "For?"

"I'm sorry for not trusting you. Since you arrived, I've been nothing but cruel to you when you have never done anything to wrong me or the gang." He says, a little above a whisper.

"No need to be sorry. I was a stranger. You have every right to be suspicious. " I say gently. "Now save your energy for when we get back to camp."

"I mean it." He says. "I just worry about Robin and don't want him to get hurt."

"I know, Much. Now hush and just rest. We're almost there."

When we get to Locksley, the sun is just starting to go down. We get to the stables and I help Much down and have him lean on me. We slowly make our way into the forest and start towards camp.


	19. Thanks for Nothing

_**A/N: Welcome newest followers! Thank you so much for following/favoriting this story. It means alot. Anyways... Enjoy!**_

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><p>As we approach, conversations stop as they look at us. "Oh my god…" I hear Djaq say as she stands and walks over to us. I see Robin's gaze darken as he orders Little John and Alan to help Much over to a small area so Djaq can examine him. He then asks Isaac to run into the village for water to clean him up. As everybody does as they're told, Robin motions for me to follow him. I glance at Much for a moment before following him just outside the camp. Crossing his arms over his chest, he turns to face me. "What happened?"<p>

"I went into the village to find Much as you asked only to find out he was arrested and taken to Nottingham for stealing from Gisborne's estate." I explain. "He must have done it last night in his drunken state."

Robin frowns. "Why didn't you tell anybody? We could have went with you as backup."

I shrug. "I didn't want to wait time in case he was in danger so I just left…"

"You could have gotten hurt," He says. "Or worse, killed."

"I had no choice."

"You put both you lives in danger!" He argues.

"I saved his life!" I retort. Anger flares up inside of me. "By the time I got to him, he was already in bad shape. Who knows what would have happened if I would have waited by coming to tell you and develop a plan. He might have been dead."

He glares at me for a moment, knowing what I said is true.

He looks away for a moment and I step toward him. "They stripped him of his clothes and tortured him. Most likely to get information on your whereabouts." I sneer at him. "You should be thanking me."

Letting out a sigh, he nods. "You're right. I always preach about doing the right thing and what you did, regardless if it was behind my back or not, was the right thing to do. You saved Much's life…. And I thank you for that."

He tries to touch my hurt arm but I pull away half out of annoyance and half to avoid raising awareness of my injury. He frowns. "Eva…"

"I'll be in camp." I mutter. I start to walk away and he tries once more to grab my arm to stop me. Instantly I wince. His eyes travel to my arm. "What's wrong with your arm?" He asks.

"I was shot with an arrow when we were leaving the castle." I say through clenched teeth. "Don't worry about it."

"First Marion, then Much, now you?" He fumes. "That's it! I'm going to kill him!" He turns and strides into camp with me in tow. Fighting against the pain in my arm, I grab his arm. "Kill whom?"

"Gisborne." He says before signaling to Will. "Will, hand me my bow and quiver."

Will doesn't move but gives me a confused glance.

"Gisborne didn't shoot me. A guard did." I explain.

"But who do you think commands them?" He shoots back at me. "Will! Bow!"

Walking around, I stand in front of him. "Robin, don't."

He looks at me and I see the pain and anger reflected in his eyes.. "I have to. He has to pay for the pain he's caused." As he says this, I hear my own words echoing in my head. That is exactly what I said about Delvin after he had William killed.

John, who has silently been watching from the sidelines walks over to us. "What's going on?"

Without taking my eyes off Robin I say, "Robin wants to go kill Gisborne."

John turns to look at Robin, giving him a stern look. "Robin, we've been through this before…."

"Go help tend to Much." Robin snaps.

"Robin, we do not kill unless necessary." John shoots back. "We do not believe in bloodshed. You taught us that."

"This time it _is_ necessary." Robin flares. "Now not only is he a traitor to England, he's tortured Much to an inch within his life and shot at Eva! She's lucky that she was only hit in the arm."

John looks at my arm then back at Robin. "Robin, don't be foolish."

"Foolish?" He asks. "Is it really foolish to go after the man that wounds two members of my gang?" His jaw clenches. "I won't spare his life this time. I've given him enough chances."

John sighs and Robin turns to yell to Will for his bow again when John swings at Robin. His punch connects and knocks Robin unconscious.

"Was that really necessary?" I ask him.

"Unfortunately, yes." He wearily replies. "We've had to do this multiple times before." He turns to Will and motions him over. "Will, come help me tie him up. He's not going to be happy when he wakes."

Isaac returns with a pail of water to see Will and John tying Robin to a nearby tree. "What did I miss?"

"Robin flew into a murderous rage and has been knocked out by John." Alan says.

Isaac gives me a confused glance.

"I had no choice." John grumbles as he walks back to his previous spot after Robin is securely tied to the tree. "He didn't want to listen to reason."

"Did you really get shot?" Alan asks. Avoiding Isaac's questioning gaze, I nod.

"Yeah. Just in the arm. I'll be fine."

"Come here to I can see how badly you were hurt." Djaq offers. She signals for Isaac to bring the water as I walk over to her. I turn so my injured arm is facing her and wince as she tries to roll up my sleeve. Exposing the area, she pulls it apart slightly to look at it. "The arrowhead seems to be pretty far in." She finally says. She looks up at us. "We'll need to try getting Much to my cottage. There I'll have everything I need to help both of you."

John and Will help Much to his feet and put his arms over their shoulders for support. "Alan, stay here and look after Robin." John orders. "Do _not_ untie him until we get back."

"Is Isaac staying too?" Alan asks. "I'll be bored out of my mind—"

"I need to be with my sister to make sure she's alright." Isaac replies.

Alan is about to argue until I shake my head. "It's fine, Isaac. Djaq should have me patched up in no time and I'll come right back."

"Are you sure?" He frowns.

I give him a small smile. "I promise."

Nodding, he hands me the bucket of water then sits down next to fire with Alan and I follow the other four back to Will and Djaq's cottage.

We reach the little cottage and Djaq ushers us inside while she keeps watch for guards or Gisborne. Once clear, she shuts the door behind her and tells Will and John to lay Much on the table while she lights candles around the room. Once Much is finally situated, Djaq starts grabbing ingredients and grinding them up. As she does this she tells Will to heat up a little bit of the water. I walk over to Much and touch his arm. His one good eye, which was clamped shut from the pain, slowly opened to look at me. "How are you feeling Much?" I ask. Regardless of my mission, I couldn't help but feel bad for him. Sure, part of my plan was to torture him but I didn't mean for it him to be tortured to the brink of death. I wanted him to get roughed up a little by the guards and get maybe a busted lip and a black eye but not this. This is immoral.

"Tired…. Weak…in pain…." He says.

"Hang in there, Much." Djaq says from near the fire. "I'm making you something to help you sleep and dull the pain."

"Fantastic." He sighs.

Djaq takes the simmering liquid off the fire and pours it into a wooden cup. She grinds up a few more things and puts in into the cup then stirs it. Once ready, she turns around and walks up beside Much. "John, would you lift his head up to drink?" She says. He nods and carefully lifts Much's head a few inches above the table.

"Is it going to taste bad?" Much asks as she holds the cup up to his lips.

"No, it should taste like blueberries." She replies. He takes a couple sips and John lays his head back down on the table.

"It does taste like blueberries." Much says before smiling. "I like that very much…." His eyes close and he's suddenly asleep.

"Now that he asleep, I'll tend to your arm."

Glancing at Much, I frown. "He's in worse shape. Maybe you should tend to him first."

"He's going to be out for a while." Will says. "Plus we'll keep him here while he heals." He glances at his wife. "He'll be safe here."

"Now sit." Djaq motions to a seat near the fire. Sighing, I do as commanded and sit down. I wince as she pressed down on parts around the wound. "It's a good thing we're doing this now," She says. "It's starting to get infected."

I let out a sigh. "Do what you must."

She nods. "This is going to hurt."

I clench my jaw. "Do it."

She nods once more and starts to work.

Alan breaks a stick in half and throws one half into the fire. "Can you believe we've been stuck on guard duty?"

Isaac shrugs. "Somebody has to be here when Robin wakes up."

"He's tied up! He's not going anywhere."

"No he's not but imagine if you were unconscious and woke up in the dark, freezing woods at night to find your whole gang gone." Isaac looks up at him. "How would you feel?"

"I guess you have a point…" Alan throws the other half of the stick into the fire and pulls his cloak closer around him. To pass the time, they started sharing stories about past festivals.

"I remember once, on the twelfth day Christmas, my brother Tom was declared King of the bean in Rochdale and his Queen was this elderly woman…" Alan tells him with a chuckle. "This woman was one of the meanest old hags! She yelled at him constantly and kept calling him Roger."

"You never mentioned you had a brother?" Isaac says. "Does he still live in Rochdale?"

Alan looks down at the ground before him silently for a moment. "No. He's no longer with us."

"I'm sorry to hear that Alan."

Alan shrugs. "It was a long time ago."

"If I may ask, what happened?"

Alan starts telling how his younger brother and two of his friends were found by the gang in the woods near Locksley as they were about to be whipped by a peasant woman for stealing. Robin was able to stop the woman from whipping them but made it up to her by them to fix her roof for free. Worried about his brother, Alan convinced Robin to let them join the gang but proved to menaces by robbing Marion's house and later a travelling salesman named Lucky George whom was working with the sheriff. They claimed to be Robin's men and were captured by guards and brought to Nottingham where they were sentenced to hang.

"We went to rescue them but found out we were too late." Alan pauses for a moment. "We were ready. Robin was waiting in one of the castle towers to shoot the ropes while Djaq and I were near the gate when the sheriff revealed that he had them hanged an hour earlier. He signaled to his guards on the castle walls and they removed the sheets to show their corpses hanging."

Isaac looks at the flames of the dying fire. "Those bastards…"

Alan nods. "My brother wasn't the best person…. he was a huge liar, thief and pickpocket…. But he didn't deserve to die….not like that."

Isaac opens his mouth to agree when they hear a groan. They both straighten and look over at Robin, as he begins to stir. Coming to, he struggles against his binds. Giving up he sighs and looks over the the two men. "Why am I tied up?" He ask, irritated. "Where are the others?"

"Little John and Will carried Much to Djaq's cottage for medical attention. Eva is there also." Isaac answers.

"And you're tied up, like last time, so you don't go on a murderous rampage." Alan adds.

"Untie me. I need to go see how Much and Eva are doing."

"We can't. Little John have us orders—"

"Alan!" Robin interrupts. "Untie me so I can check on my gang. They are my main concern right now."

"Don't worry Robin. Djaq is taking care of them both." Isaac inputs. "Eva should be back soon."

"I want to check on them myself. Untie me. Now."

"I'm not being funny," Alan says. "But if we untie you, John might knock us out next."

Sighing, Robin lays his head back on the tree. "How about we make a deal? The fire is dying and you need to get more firewood. If nobody is back here by the time you get back from finding firewood, you release me. Deal?"

The guys exchange glances. "I guess that's a fair deal." Alan agrees. They both rise from their spots. "We'll be right back."

"Wait, should one of us stay here in case Eva comes back?" Isaac asks. "She'll wonder where we went."

"I'll tell her" Robin says. "Go before the fire is gone completely." Alan give him an unsure look. I'm tied up. I won't go anywhere."

Alan looks at Isaac expectantly. He shrugs and grabs a small branch and lights it in the fire for a torch. We'll be back."

Biting on a small piece of leather that Little John gave me, I try my best not to move my arm as Djaq stitches me up. She had already removed the arrowhead and cleaned my wound. The arrow had buried itself deep within the muscle but Djaq said it would heal with time and proper care. Once she finished stitching, she wraps my arm with a clean bandage.

"Come back every so often so I can check on it." She instructs. "With all of you living in the forest, I want to make sure your stitches don't become infected and you take a fever." Remembering Robin's scar, I nod.

"I will. Thank you Djaq." I stand from where I was seated and walk over to the door. "I promised Isaac I would start heading back after I was taken care of…" I turn to look at John. "Are you going to stay here?"

He nods. "Just for a while longer."

I thank Djaq once more and exit the cottage. Once the door is shut behind me, I make it about a pace away when a voice catches my attention. "Eva."

I turn to face where the voice is coming from to see Gisborne leaning against the side of the cottage, his arms crossed over his chest. I glare at him as he straightens and walks toward me. "Are you mad?" I hiss, glancing back at the house.

"We need to discuss of the earlier…incident." He replies.

Taking a deep breath to calm my irritation, I quickly look around. "Fine. Come with me." We walk halfway to Locksley Manor when I quickly turn on him, almost making him crash into me. "Make it quick. I have to get back."

"Eva, I just wanted to apologize... "

I cross my arms over my chest. "Oh really? For almost ruining my cover by arresting the _one_ person in the gang who thinks I'm a traitor?" I retort. "Or maybe for commanding your guards to shoot me in the arm when I went to clean up yours and the Sheriff's mess?"

He gives me a confused look. "I didn't order for any guards to shoot you. I specifically told them to avoid harming you…"

Quickly rolling up my sleeve, I cringe for a moment. "Well it looks like I was harmed."

He steps towards me but I hold my hand up to stop him. "I have to go. I'll send a courier with an update soon." I turn on my heel and walk towards the forest without looking back.


	20. He's a Real Lady Killer

**_A/N: I apologize for the super short chapter and super late update. College life has been hectic. However, I will try to get the next chapter finished and uploaded as soon as I possibly can. Keep an eye out for it! :)_**

* * *

><p>I reach the edge of the woods when I hear the sound of a twig snap. I freeze and listen for a moment. I hear it once more and ready my hand on the hilt of my sword. "Isaac? Alan?" Faint footsteps can be heard before Robin emerges. I let out a relieved sigh before glancing off to the side in the direction where I had just left Gisborne only moments ago. My eyes flick back to him. "Robin… why are you out here? Who untied you?"<p>

"Nobody did. I was able to get free while Isaac and Alan went to get firewood." He gives me a grin. "I needed to check up on you and Much." He says. He motions towards my arm. "How's your arm?"

I shrug. "It wasn't too deep." I lie. "Djaq cleaned, stitched and bandaged it up so it shouldn't get infected." He nods as I glance at his side. "But she told me to check in with her every so often just in case."

"Djaq knows best about these things." He looks past me at the cottage, frowning. "So… how's Much? Is he going to be alright?

I nod. "Yeah. Djaq gave him a drink so he can sleep while she tends to his wounds."

He sighs. "I should probably go check in with her just in case…" He tries to walk past me when I touch his arm to stop him. He looks at me.

"I don't think that is a good idea."

"Eva, I understand that you're trying to help…" He starts to say but I cut him off.

"Robin, I think we should wait until morning to check up on him." I suggest. "Much is asleep and it wouldn't be wise for John to see you walking around…"

"I can handle John—"

I shake my head. "If you two start yelling at each other, you risk waking up Much." I pause, giving him a stern look. "Much has had enough excitement for one day and needs to rest."

Seeing my stubborn expression, he finally gives in. "I guess you're right. First thing in the morning, I'll check on Much and then call a gang meeting to start planning our next move."

I give him a small smile as I motion to the forest with my head. "We should head back to camp so the guys don't start to worry about where you've gone off to."

Relieved that he takes me up on my proposal, I wait until he is a couple paces ahead of me before I glance back at the village for any sign of Gisborne. Finding no trace of him, I turn and follow Robin into the darkness. I catch up to him in a small amount of time and match his pace. We walk alongside one another for a moment until my curiosity eats at me until I can't take it anymore. "If I may ask…." I start.

He glances at me expectantly. "Yes?"

"Earlier when you had your outburst, you mentioned something about Marian….What did you mean by that?" He falls silent with exception of his footsteps and the snap of an occasional twig. "Robin?"

He lets out a sigh before pausing for a moment to look at me. "He killed my wife." He finally says. "He killed Marian."

I feel a shiver run down my spine and my blood run cold. "Who did?" I ask carefully.

"Gisborne."

As he says his name, I feel as though the wind has been knocked out of me. I rest my hand on a nearby tree to steady myself. "Gisborne was the man who killed your wife?" I repeat. He nods.

"Gisborne had an infatuation with her. The gang, Marian and I travelled to the Holy Land to warn the King of Gisborne's plans to kill him. While there, Gisborne told Marian he loved her and she told him that she was in love with me and would never love him."

My jaw clenches. "And so he killed her?"

Robin nodded his head sadly. "I found the King as he was already stabbed and left to die by Gisborne. He died in my arms…. I wasn't able to save him in time." He pauses for a moment. "After leaving the King to find the rest of the gang, I saw her talking to Gisborne. I started to run towards them but…"His voice catches and he takes a deep breath before continuing. "I was about 3 paces from them when he sunk his sword into her and then fled like the coward he is."

My mind reeling at this new information, I remain quiet. He gives me a questioning look. "Are you alright?"

I nod. "Yeah… catching up to you really took it out of me." I lie. "You can go on ahead. I'm going to rest a while then head back."

"Are you sure?"

Nodding I give him a small smile. "I'm sure. Go on."

He turns to leave and as soon as he's out of view, I lean back against a tree and sink down into a sitting position. What have I gotten myself into? With Gisborne thinking I'm interested in him, I now run the risk of ending up like Marian if everything doesn't go according to plan. I breathe in the cool night air. I will have to find a way to talk privately with Isaac so I can tell him this new information.

By the time I reach camp, Robin is crouched in the middle of camp, poking at the embers of the dead fire with a stick. "Where's Isaac and Alan?" I ask, stepping into the clearing. He looks over at me and straightens. "It seems they haven't returned yet."

"Lucky for you." I tease. "Looks like you might actually get away with escaping."

"Seems so." He chuckles. "Unfortunately, that means that I'll have to get tied up before they come back."

"That can be any minute now." I point out.

"Then what are you waiting for?" He grins. He walks over to the tree and holds out his hands. "Can't have a mad man on the loose, can we?"

Chuckling, I walk over and pick up the rope and begin binding his hands. "I wouldn't exactly call you mad…"

"No?"

"No." I shake my head. Once his hands are securely bound, I throw the other end over the branch just above him. "I believe that you are caring." As I tie secure the rope on the branch, I look into his eyes.

His eyes flicker to my lips then meet my gaze once more. "I think you're forgetting devilishly handsome." He says with a grin.

"That too." I chuckle. _And to think that you're going to kill him._ A voice says from the back of my mind. I frown for a split second before faking a smile. "You're definitely one of a kind."

He smiles at my compliment and leans forward slightly. I reach my hand up to his cheek and start to lean in as well when somebody clears their throat behind me and I quickly turn to see Alan and Isaac standing at the edge of the clearing, both carrying piles of firewood. Isaac smirks at me while Alan walks over to the fire and sets his pile nearby. "I'm not being funny but why don't you two just kiss already?" Alan says before starting on the fire. I feel the heat rise in my cheeks and quickly turn away from Robin making him chuckle. I shoot Isaac a stern look but his smirk never falters. He kneels beside the fire and starts to help Alan and I sneak a quick peck on Robin's cheek. "I think everybody already knows about us." Robin says a little above a whisper.

I shrug and walk over to the guys. Once they get an ember going, Alan straightens and tells Isaac to try getting the fire going while he walks over to Robin. "Alright, I'll free you if you promise not to fly into a bloody rage. Deal?" Alan asks him. As I take a seat next to Isaac, I chuckle which earns me a look from him. Waving it off, I lean towards him so only he can hear what I say. "I have some new information. We need to talk." He gives a slight nod to show he understands before resuming his task.

Once a fairly decent fire is cheerfully crackling, we all take a moment to warm ourselves before I help Isaac roast some leftover dried meat for Robin, Alan, and Isaac since they weren't able to eat at Djaq's. While the men enjoyed their meat, I sat back against a nearby tree trunk and closed my eyes. With the day's events and my wound, I felt exhausted and slightly weakened. None of my companions seemed to mind as they chatted between bites. Slowly their voices faded off into the distance as I drifted into a deep sleep. What seemed like only moments after, I felt a presence near me and barely opened my eyes, which felt heavy, to see Isaac hand Robin my cloak which he draped over me. He whispered something that I was unable to make out before turning to rejoin the other two before my vision darkened once more and I was sound asleep.


	21. The Ledger

Vaisley strolls around the many cages housing small birds as there is a knock on the door. Moments later Gisborne appears in the doorway and steps into the room. "You wanted to see me, Sir?"

"You spoke to our little assassin friend last night, did you not?"

"I did. I caught her as she was leaving the village doctor."

Vaisly turns to look at him. "Doctor? What for?"

"One of my guards shot her in the arm as she was escaping with our prisoner."

"I can only imagine how she reacted to that." He says with a smirk.

"She was angry with me for having her shot at but I did not give the order."

"Of course you didn't Gisborne. You're too caught up in fancying her." Gisborne glares at him and he reaches into a cage and takes the bird out, examining it. "I'm the one that ordered the shot."

Gisborne's face twists into an expression of confusion. "Why? You could have killed her and if she would have die, King John…"

"I didn't try to kill her." Vaisley snaps. "If I wanted her dead she would have been by now."

"Then why…"

"Because Gisborne, she yelled at us for making her almost lose her cover. Therefore, I had a guard shoot at her so that she looked like an enemy instead of ally to Mush—"

"Much." Gisborne corrected only to be waved off.

"Whatever his name. Now she looks like a hero and is back in their good graces."

A grin creeps up onto Guy's face. "You planned it."

The sheriff gives him a bored look. "Of course I planned it. In situations like this, you have to think ahead." He rolls his eyes at Guy's expression and waved him off. "Go do something. I don't need you standing around grinning like a fool all day."

Guy's grin falters and his signature scowl returns. "Should I ready the men to head into Mansfield for tax day as planned?" He receives no reply. Assuming it to be confirmation, he turns on his heel and leaves to tend to his duties.

When I awake the next morning, I find only Isaac bent over a small fire lazily stirring a foggy liquid in pot. Bolting upright to look around, I wince as I suddenly move my stiff arm. "Where is Robin and Alan?" I demand. "What happened?"

Isaac glances over at me with a bored expression. "Nothing happened. Early this morning, Robin went into Loxley to check on Much and Djaq told Robin about some ridiculously high tax or something like that and how some people were injured over it in a nearby village. After hearing that, Robin and Alan immediately set off to go talk to the people."

"And why didn't you wake me?" I ask hotly.

He shrugs. "Robin told me not to."

"Oh he did, did he? Well just remember that you owe fealty to me first and foremost." I snap as I try to move my stiff arm once more and wince at the effort.

"Sorry." He replies with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "I also figured that you could use the rest, what with your wound and recent restless nights."

"I'm fine." I mutter. "My arm is just a little stiff. That's all."

"Here. Drink this." He spoons out some of the foggy liquid into a cup and hands it to me. I grab it with my good arm and peer into it.

"What is it?"

"Try it."

I give him a stern look. "Not until I know what it is. Just in case you're trying to poison me." He gives me an offended look and I chuckle. "I'm kidding. So what is it?"

"I boiled some water and pine needles."

"Interesting." I mutter before taking a long sip.

"Well?" He asks giving me an expectant look. "What do you think?"

"Tastes like a watered down tree." I hand him back the cup and struggle to my feet. Walking over to where my bow and quiver lie, I pick them up and sling them over my shoulder.

"Where are you going?" Isaac asks as I pull on my cloak and fumble with the clasp.

"I'm going out to hunt so that we can have some real food and not some watery pine needles."

He stands and takes a sip of his pine water before dumping it out on the fire. The tiny flame vanishes and he grabs his weapons. "As much fun as that would be, why don't we go back into the village to Djaq's so we can get some food, check on Much and have Djaq check up on your wound."

"I said I'm fine." I growl.

"And I don't believe you. Let's go." He starts to walk in the direction of the village and, knowing there's no way to change his mind, roll my eyes and follow. In a few steps I'm able to walk alongside him and wait a moment before deciding to tell him what I found out.

"I have some new information regarding Marian."

He turns to give me a questioning look. "Oh? Can we use it in our advantage?"

I stop for a moment and so does he. "Gisborne killed Marian."

His eyes widen. "What? Gisborne? As in…"

I nod. "The same man who we tell our information."

Astonished, he leans back against a tree as he takes a moment to register this before glancing at me. "Why did he kill her? Who told you this?"

I take a deep breath to calm my nerves before I answer. "Robin did last night..." I pause. "He killed her because she refused to marry him and because she chose Robin."

"Wow…." He says quietly. He looks down at his boots with sudden fascination.

Panic arises in me and I start to pace back and forth. "I made a mistake by leading him on."

Isaac looks up from his boots. "Leading who on?"

"Gisborne."

"Why? I think it's rather amusing…"He says with a light-hearted chuckle.

"Really?" I snap. "Do you find the fact that I now run the risk of ending up like Marian amusing?"

He steps forward and lays his hands on my shoulders. "You're not at risk." He tries to reassure me. "Your entire relationship with Robin has been part of a plan that we cooked up with the Sheriff AND Gisborne. He knows that all your affections with Robin are an act." He sees my expression and frowns. "It _is_ an act… isn't it?"

My jaw clenches and I turn away from him. "Let's just go check up on Much."

I start to walk away when he grabs my arm and I wince. "Eva… are you actually falling for him?"

I try to pull my arm away but his grip is too strong in my already weakened state. "Let me go." I growl, glaring at him.

"Are you?"

I pullout my sword with my good arm and place the tip near the base of his throat. "I said… Let. Me. Go."

"Eva…"He starts, his tone softened. "I know that Robin is a great man but this is our mission. This is our way back to tracking Delvin and avenging William."

My bottom lip starts to quiver before the rush of emotions at the mention of William's name but I clench my jaw. "I know it's just a mission. Now let me go."

He releases me and I sheath my sword and turn on my heel, walking towards the village.

I make it to Djaq's cottage with Isaac only a few steps behind. I hear talking which fades as soon as I knock on the door. Moments later, the door opens just a little and Djaq peers out. Seeing Isaac and I, the door widens and we're ushered in. "You're still here." Djaq says as she closes the door behind us. "I thought you two might have gone with Robin."

"We stayed behind since him and Alan were just going to investigate." Isaac explains. "Didn't want to attract any unwanted attention with a large group."

"That's a wise idea." Will says as he walks past us with a platter of bloody bandages. Seeing them I frown and look around for Much.

"Where's Much?" I ask. "How is he doing?"

"Djaq made up a small bed of straw in the back." John answers from the corner.

"He woke up earlier and had some broth. He's still really weak so I gave him some more of the drink he had last night to help him sleep." Djaq adds. "It's a good thing you got to him in time. Any longer and I wouldn't have been able to save him."

"Yeah…" I say.

Djaq walks over to me and gently takes my arm and leads me near the center of the room. "Let me check on your wound." She motions for me to sit on the table and I obey. With skilled hands, she carefully rolls my sleeve up near my shoulder and unwraps the bandage. Taking my arm she tilts it up slightly to see it better and examines it for a few moments. As she does this I take the opportunity to ask about food. "So has everybody already eaten?" I ask.

John nods. "We had some bread earlier but seeing Much made me lose my appetite." He grumbles, shaking his head. "He may be annoying but nobody deserves to go through what he did."

"Except maybe the people who did it." Isaac inputs. Everyone falls silent but you can tell they agreed with him by their solemn expressions. To raise everyone's spirits, Isaac offers to make a potato and leek stew which John is more than happy to help with.

"You've stopped bleeding so that's always a good sign. Otherwise we would have had to cauterize it." Djaq says. "Your stitches are a little infected but I'll just clean it out, put on a salve I made last night when I was tending to Much and wrap it with a clean bandage." Djaq says.

I nod. "Do what you must."

Nodding, she walks into the back. Soon the room filled with the sweet aroma of the stew which made my stomach growl with anticipation. I watch Isaac as he talks quietly with John, asking him for ingredients and instructing him. I break my gaze as there is a sharp knock on the door. Will glances at me before walking over to it and opening it just a little to see who it is before widening the door. Seeing Robin, I'm about to slip off the table to walk over to him when Djaq returns with a greeting for both the men. "Did you find out anything new?" She asks them, placing down the items in her arms.

"We did." Alan replies. "In fact we got there right as it was happening."

"And?" John presses. "What happened?"

"Gisborne's men were going around to all the cottages demanding they pay the extra taxes to show their "appreciation" for the John." Robin says with a vengeful look in his eye. "Whoever couldn't pay were punished."

"That's nothing new." John mutters turning back to tend to the stew.

Either Robin didn't hear him or he ignored the comment. He continues, "While we were there, we found out from one of the merchants that all the taxes and where the money goes is all recorded in a ledger."

"And where is this ledger?" I ask even though I already know the answer.

"Nottingham Castle." Robin replies.

"Where in the castle?" Will asks.

Glancing at Robin, Alan steps forward. "Well you see, that's the part we don't know for sure."

Djaq finishes wrapping my arm and I slip off the table to walk over to him. "Robin… to not know where it's located is…." I pause to find the word.

"Mad?" John offers.

"Yes. It's mad."

"It has to be either in the Sheriff's bedchamber or his study." Robin looks me in the eye. "Besides, I have a plan."

I frown. "And what is it?"

"Two of us will go undercover as guards…" Alan starts but is instantly interrupted by John.

"Then what? One search through the Sheriff's bedchamber while the other checks his office?" John sneers. "What happens if and when we're caught by actual guards or the Sheriff himself?"

"Listen!" Robin says. "Tomorrow is market day. I'll have Isaac and Will make a scene to distract the guards near servant entrance in the kitchen. Once they leave their post, Alan and I will sneak in through the kitchen and make our way towards the study. We'll split up and I'll search the study while Alan searches the sheriff's bedchamber. Once we have the ledger—"

"What about me?" I ask.

"You'll be a lookout."

"No." I reply. "I refuse to be just a lookout. I'll search the bedchamber."

"You're wounded…"

"I'll be fine." I reply, sharply. "Alan can be the lookout."

"Eva…. You're lookout. That's an order." He shoots back. Before I can argue he looks over at John. "John you can be mine and Alan's lookout in the castle and Eva will be Isaac and Will's lookout in case anything gets out of hand."

Everybody else nods and I start to walk away before Robin stops me. "I just don't want you to get hurt any more than you already are." Robin says quietly.

"I know." I reply. "I appreciate the concern but like I said, I'm fine." I turn away from him and walk over to stand next to Isaac and he places stew in bowls and hands them over to John to distribute. As John is handing a bowl to Alan on the other side of the room, I lean against the wall near the fireplace.

"You're not going to be a lookout, are you?" Isaac say quietly with a smirk.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I glance at Robin with a smirk. "No I'm not."


	22. A Way In

**_A/N: Guess what? School is out for the summer so I am able to get back to writing! I apologize for the long wait for an update. I was gearing up for finals and really had to focus most of my energy on doing well. However, I'm back now and I shall be back writing! Keep an eye out for updates!_**

Once we finished eating, everyone with exception of Djaq and Will, we headed back to camp to pack up and move. We walked through the forest for what seemed like hours before Robin suddenly stopped.

"I'm not being funny but we should really think about finding a permanent place—" Alan starts to say before Robin shushes him. We wait for a moment before Isaac finally speaks up. "What are we waiting for?" He asks a little above a whisper.

Robin turns to look at us. "Do you hear that?"

I strain to listen when I finally hear it. "A carriage." I say with a grin.

Smiling, he nods. "Seems like our lucky day!"

He motions for us to follow as he carefully climbs up a nearby hill and lies on his stomach just so he can see over the top at the road. We follow suit and lie near the top to see a wagon slowly coming down the road in the company of five guards.

"Do you think that's the money they took from the villagers in Mansfield?" Isaac asks.

Robin grins. "One way to find out." He walks back down the hill and peaks around the hill at the upcoming cart. We follow him until he stops to watch them go past the mound that keeps us from view before he turns to face us. "Now stay quiet. We're going to go up behind the guards in back of the wagon. Once I give the signal, Isaac, you and John will take out the first two." They nod and he looks between Alan and I. "You and Alan take out the guards on either side and I'll get on top of the cart and get the guard that's sitting up front. Okay?" He looks around at us expectantly before looking out again. He signals for us to follow him and we fade into the greenery that lines the road. The cart passes us and starts to go around the small bend when Robin motions to Isaac and John. They silently sneak out onto the road take out the two guards in the back quickly and quietly, pulling them into the bushes to avoid detection. Robin motions to Alan and I to follow him and we mimic what the other two did and quietly return to our previous positions.

"We've been riding for a little while." The guard in the front says to the two off to the side. "There should be a stream not too far that we can water the horses and rest a little while."

We wait as the cart passes us and watch as John gives Robin a boost onto the top of the cart as the guard says something before pausing for a response. When he receives none, the cart slows as he glances around. Finding himself alone, the cart suddenly stops. The guard gets down from the cart and unsheathes his sword before walking around calling his fellow guard's names. Grinning, Robin silently drops off the cart behind him and readies an arrow. I hear the panic in the guard's voice as he calls out. "Come out you bastards! Face me like men!"

Robin calmly draws his bow and aims at the man. "As you wish." The guard spins around and takes a swipe at him which he dodges. Grinning, he whistles signaling for us to emerge. Weapons ready, we surround him waiting to interfere if necessary. "I have a few questions for you. Answer them, and I'll think about setting you free with most of your possessions. What do you say?" Robin asks.

The guard glances around at us, unsure which way to face. "I'm not answering anything!" He spits.

Robin frowns. "I figured you'd say that." He aims downwards and shoots the cart right between the man's legs before grabbing another arrow and drawing it back, once again aiming at the man. "Now, how about you cooperate before my aiming improves?"

The man starts to tremble, whether from fear or anger, I couldn't tell. "Who are you?" The man asks, shakily.

"I'm Robin Hood." Robin answers with a huge grin. "Now tell me. Where are you coming from and where is it going?" Robin looks at Alan and gives a small nod towards the cart. Alan walks around to the back and opens the little doors to peer inside.

"Hey!" The guard exclaims stepping forward. He stops when Robin steps forward, his arrowhead a mere few inches from his face. "You haven't answered my questions."

The guard looks anxiously at Alan. "Mansfield and it's going to Nottingham—"

"Robin…"

"What Alan?" Robin asks, his eyes never leaving the guard.

"I'm not being funny but, it's filled with caskets!"

Robin grins. "Is that so? Bring one out. Let me see."

As Alan's head disappears behind one of the doors to grab one of the boxes, Robin continues to question the man. "You say you just came from Mansfield."

The man nods. "That's right."

"What are in the caskets? Gold?" Robin asks.

The man looks Robin in the eye. "Maybe. What's it to you?"

Irritated, John gives the man's helmet a tap with his staff from behind. "Yes or no." He grumbles.

"No!" The man says letting out a startled cry. "It's just grain!"

Alan walks over with a beautifully carved box in his hands, turning it over to look at it. "Bit fancy for grain if you ask me."

Robin motions to Alan. "Let's see if he's telling the truth. Open it."

"It's locked." The guard says, smugly.

Robin's mouth turns up at the corners into a smile. "Well, it's a good thing we know how to pick locks!"

The man's smug expression suddenly changes as Alan sets to work on the lock. In moments, the box is open and we hear Alan call over, "It's filled with silver!"

Robin raises an eyebrow at the man. "I thought you said it was only grain?"

The man glares at Robin but remains quiet.

"Alan, bring the casket over here." Robin instructs. Alan does as he's told and brings it over as Robin motions Isaac over. Isaac stand in front of the man and aims an arrow at him while Robin puts his arrow back in his quiver and stands next to Alan, still facing the man. "You say that all this is going to Nottingham from Mansfield…" He pauses, and watches the man carefully. "Why? What is it for?"

"I think of all people, you'd know that it's taxes taken from the villagers."

Robin opens the casket and the man tries to step forward but is stopped by John's staff being placed in front of him. Robin looks at the money then back at the man. "Tax day has already passed and this…." He dips his hand into the pile of silver coins and grabs a fistful, holding it up.

"Put that back! That is property of the King! It doesn't belong to you!" The man exclaims only to be pushed back by John. Robin's gaze darkens. "This money doesn't belong to him either! This—" He motions to the cart. "belongs to all the hard working people in the villages which it is taken from. The people barely have enough money to survive as it is without King John taxing them even more." He drops the coins in the box and walks over to the man. "King Richard—"

"Richard is dead!" The man spits. "John is king now and I just follow orders."

Robin glares at him. I watch as I see his fists clench at his side and his jaw clench before speaking up. "Robin."

His gaze never leaves the man so I try again. "Robin!"

He looks at me. "I think this man deserves to feel the embarrassment that comes with serving King John, don't you agree?"

His he glances back at the man before straightening. He nods to John who knocks the man out with his staff. The man slumps to the ground and Robin starts to call out orders. "John, you and Isaac strip him own to his undergarments and tie him up. Alan, you and Eva can start unloading the cart while I unhitch the horses."

The guys start doing as they're told as I approach Robin. "Hey, are you alright?" I ask him.

He gives me a smile and nods. "I'm fine."

"Robin…" I say with a frown. "I saw your reaction when he talked about Richard…" The sadness and angry return to his eyes but his fake smile remains intact.

"We'll talk about this later, alright?"

He starts to walk away but I stop him by gently grabbing his arm. "I also have a suggestion."

He looks at me with a questioning expression. "About?"

"The plan."

"Eva… I know you aren't happy with it…"

"It's not that. I think we just found our way into the castle."

He turns towards me. "What do you mean?"

I motion over to the cart. "That cart is already on its way to Nottingham. All we have to do is take the money out of all the caskets, fill them with stones, relock them then pose as guards to get into the castle. Once inside we'll split into three groups of two. Two will search the castle for the ledger, two to be their backups or to cause a distraction if need be and then another two guard the cart, just in case they try to look in them."

"With all due respect, Robin" Alan says as he stops his task, "I like that plan a lot more."

Robin gives me a smile. "So do I but we just need a place to make camp for the night and find a place to hide the money."

"There's a cave not too far from here that can serve as both camp and storage. Or we can store the money in the usual area." Isaac suggests.

"Perfect." Robin says with a nod. "Isaac and I will take the cart and head to the cave you spoke of while the rest of you can strip the guards of their uniforms."

"What about the guards themselves?" I ask as he climbs up onto the seat of the cart.

He glances back at the road behind us. "We're not far from town so we'll just set them up by a tree so that when they come to, they can walk back into town." He turns to the rest of us. "Once we have the cart in a secure location, I'll have Isaac come back so he can show you where the cave is while I start unloading the cart."

We set to our assigned tasks and I watch Robin and Isaac ride off down the road before helping the other two. Isaac returns after we get the last guard's uniform off and he helps us drag the unconscious men over to the nearby tree and lay them against the trunk. Satisfied, we follow Isaac back to the cave with the uniforms to help Robin unload.


	23. Guilt

**_A/N: Hello everyone! I apologize for this really late chapter. I was just not inspired to write for the longest time and when I was, I got writer's block. Not fun._**

**_Anyways, 3 things:_**

**_1) _****_This chapter was technically finished two days ago but I withheld it because I really didn't like how it was written. I didn't want to cheapen my story by updating it sooner when It didn't uphold the standard I have set for myself. Therefore, I kept it for a couple more days so that I was able to rewrite the parts I didn't like and I believe it turned out much better than what it was before. I really hope you will all like it!_**

**_2) _****_I would like to warn you all that in this chapter it jumps around a lot between characters because the gang is split up an in different parts. I apologize that the transitions between the switches are terrible. I am currently working on improving that._**

**_3) _****_Lastly, I would like to address the issue with there not being spaces between paragraphs. It was requested that I start adding some. I apologize about this. When I write the chapter in a word document before uploading it, the paragraphs are separated but once I enter the chapter on the site, they are taken out automatically. However, I will try to find another way to separate them._**

**_Thanks to all who read my stories and review. Your feedback in invaluable to me. I am always grateful when you take a moment after reading to tell me how I'm doing, what you like and so on. Well, that's all! Enjoy!_**

* * *

><p>At first light, we check on Much and collect Will before starting our trek towards Nottingham. With very few breaks to water the horses and to eat what was left of our food, we make it to Nottingham just past midday and gather near the wood to go over the plan once more and change into our guard uniforms. Once fully suited, Isaac and Robin sit in front of the cart while the rest of us pair up and walk along the sides.<p>

As we approach the gate, one of the guards holds up a hand for us to stop as he strolls over. "State your business." He says, eyeing the cart curiously.

"Collection from Mansfield." I hear Isaac say.

The guard motions to his partner who walks around to the back and lifts the cover. I watch as he reaches in and grabs one of the caskets and examines it before weighing it in his hands then placing back inside. "Good to go." He calls back to the first guard before shutting the back. The first guard nods to us and steps back allowing us inside. We pass the gates and ride into the ward where the Sheriff and Gisborne stand atop the stairs waiting.

"Ah!" Vaisley exclaims joyfully as he sees us enter. "Finally!" He descends down the stairs with Gisborne in tow and I glance up towards Robin. Silently I hope he doesn't do anything to blow our cover. Surprisingly, and to my relief, he remains in character even as Guy stands only inches away. Guy looks up at him with his usual stony expression. "This shipment was supposed to be here yesterday. What took you so long?" There was a silence as Guy looked around at us. "Well?"

"There was some rubble on the path." Will speaks up. "By the time we were able to clear it, it was too dark to continue so we made camp for the night."

Guy glares at Robin then Isaac for a moment when Vaisley waves him off impatiently. "Never mind that Gisborne." He walks around to the back of the cart and we hear him say, "You're all excused." Nodding, we head up the stairs into the castle.

* * *

><p>Once out of earshot of both Gisborne and the Sheriff, Robin speaks up. "Vaisley will most likely open some of the caskets and will find that he's been tricked. Therefore, we don't have much time to find the ledger and get back to the cave." Robin says. "Will, you and Eva should walk to the guard house and check in with the commander to keep up our cover while the rest of us split up and look for the ledger."<p>

With that said, we split off in groups of two and set off to do our task. Will and I talked to the commander who, although irritated that we were late, was relieved that we arrived with all the money intact.

"So why were you late?" He asks. "You didn't run into Robin Hood and his band of thieves, did you?"

"Luckily no." Will replied. "However, somebody might have before us since there was some debris on the road that we had to clear." He repeated the entire story we told Gisborne but added a few details about a burnt carriage.

"Barbaric." The commander muttered. "It's good that you arrived safely. I was summoned by the Sheriff but was waiting for you since I heard of your return." Picking up his helmet from a nearby table he bids us farewell and leaves Will and I in the room alone. I glance around. "Do you think the ledger could be here?" I ask. Will shrugs. "It'll most likely be stashed away in the Sheriff's office or bed chamber but the others will most likely look there first." He takes off his helmet and sets it on the table before glancing around. "However, it might be a good idea to look around here just in case."

* * *

><p>Isaac and John walk down a long hallway to the doorway of the Sheriff's bedchamber. After looking around to see if the coast was clear, they entered the room. "Besides his office, this is really the only other place it could be—", Isaac starts to say. Seeing a figure move out of the corner of his eye, he draws his sword. The servant girl drops the linen she was holding with a startled cry. Isaac quickly sheaths his weapon and apologizes. "The sheriff asked for us to find a ledger. Have you seen one?" He asks.<p>

The girl kneels down and takes picks up the linens, blushing fiercely. "I only get the linens." She says in a frustrated tone as she rushes out of the room. Isaac gives John a questioning look. He shrugs and starts his search.

* * *

><p>"I don't think it'll be in here." Robin says opening a crate. They decided on searching the storage area but so far all they could find was old weapons, and crates of other miscellaneous items. "The ledger is a record of all the taxes paid recently. It wouldn't be stuck in storage to collect dust." He looks around the room as if the name of the ledger's location was etched on the walls.<p>

"What about the sheriff's office?" Allan suggests. "That's where most important documents are kept."

Robin smiles. "Exactly my thoughts. Come on. We haven't much time."

Closing the crate he was looking in, Allan closes the lid and follows Robin out of the room.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, Outside in the ward<em>

Vaisley picks up a casket and stares at it greedily. "Gisborne, the key."

Gisborne glances at him, puzzled. "Key?"

"You idiot!" The sheriff rages. "The key to the bloody boxes!"

Gisborne starts at him blankly, infuriating the sheriff further. "Well?! What are you waiting for?! Go get it!"

Guy scowls as he walks past Vaisley and walks towards the castle to retrieve the key from Vaisley's office.

* * *

><p>Robin and Allan search the office feverishly, growing more frustrated with each passing moment. "Where is it?" Robin mutters to himself as he sifts through the documents on the large desk. He glances down and grins. "Allan." Allan turns away from the small cupboard as he hears his name. Robin looks up at him with a large grin. "Come here. Quickly. I need you to pick the lock on this drawer."<p>

In two strides Allan is behind the desk, kneeled before it when they hear heavy footsteps coming down the hallway towards the doorway. Their gazes meet and without a word separate and hide. Allan ducks under the desk and pulls the large chair towards him to hide himself while Robin steps behind a nearby curtain. They wait in silence as the footsteps enter the room. Pulling the curtain aside slightly, Robin peers out as he watches Gisborne stride over to the desk. He says a silent prayer to himself in hopes that Gisborne won't spot Allan. Gisborne shuffles through the papers on the desk, muttering to himself. Guy pauses for a moment. He looks up to the curtain, causing Robin to quickly duck behind it. He curses under his breath as it sways from the sudden movement. There's a tense silence before Robin hears a drawers open and shut. He waits to peer out again once Gisborne's footsteps are out of earshot and approaches the desk, hesitantly, peeking around the corner. Finding themselves safe, he taps the top of the desk. "Allan." He says a little above a whisper.

Hearing his friend, the chair slides out and Allan carefully comes out of hiding. He looks out then directs his attention to lock. Surprisingly, the drawer opens with little effort. He looks up at Robin with a confused expression. "It was already unlocked!"

"Gisborne must have unlocked it when he was going through the drawers." Robin frowns. "I wonder what he was looking for." Allan shrugs in response and opens the drawer to find a leather bound ledger.

* * *

><p>Gisborne solemnly strides up to the sheriff and hands him the key. Vaisely snatches it from him with an annoyed glare. "Took you long enough." He growls. Guy rolls his eyes as the sheriff looks away.<p>

Picking up a casket, the sheriff grins as he puts the key in and turns it. Without looking away from the decorative box, he hands the key back to Gisborne and eagerly opens the casket. His grin falters as he stares at the stones. "What the—" He picks some up and stares at it in his hand disbelieving before throwing them to the ground. He pulls out more and more stones hoping to find coins underneath. Finding nothing but more stones he tosses the casket off to the side, almost hitting a guard who jumps out of the way, He frantically snatches the key back from Guy and opens casket after casket finding more and more little stones.

"Hood!" He cries out. He looks at Gisborne, his face red with anger. "We've been tricked! Robin Hood is here!" He looks at an expectant Guy. He suddenly lashes out, striking Guy across his face, yelling "What are you waiting for?! Find him! NOW!"

Holding his face, he wipes some blood off his split lip from where the Sheriff's ring had made contact before glaring at him. He turns away and looks at his men. "Hood must be somewhere in the castle. Find him and bring him to me!" He orders. They quickly race off to the castle as Guy gives the Sheriff a final glare before running after them.

* * *

><p>Allan reaches into the drawer and pulls out the book. "Let me see it." Robin says. Allan hands it to him and he flips through the pages. His eyes flick over from page to page before he looks up, grinning. "This is it!" He exclaims. "Let's go find the others so we can get out of here." Allan stands up and follows Robin out of the room. They pause at the door way to peer out in search of guards before proceeding down the hallway. As they walk they hear something in the distance and stop to wait and listen.<p>

"Did you hear something?" Allan asks.

Moments pass with silence so they continue walking. It wasn't until they turned a corner when they could hear people running down the hallway that they realized that the sheriff was aware of the deception. Robin quickly hands the ledger off to Allan. "Allan, take this and go find the others. Tell them I'll meet them in the forest near the north road." He nods and runs off while Robin puts his back against the wall and inches towards the corner. He readies his bow and nocks an arrow before peering around the corner. He sees a guard running his way and steps out from behind the corner and shoots the arrow, hitting him in the chest. He goes down and hears his name called from inside Vaisely's office.

"I know you're here, Hood!" Guy yells as he pulls aside a curtain. He looks under the desk just as he spots somebody from the corner of his eye enter the room. He looks up to see Robin, bow drawn with an arrow trained at his heart.

"Looking for me?" Robin asks.

Guy straightens and looks at his adversary. "You won't kill me." He says with a smirk.

"You sure about that?" Robin growls.

Guy takes a step forward. "You're not a killer. You don't have the stomach for it."

"I know you definitely do." Robin retorts. "Marian, the King—"

"John is the king now."

"He's a traitor!" Robin exclaims. "And so are you!" He moves quickly and shoots the arrow close to his face. So close it slices his cheek. Gisborne sucks in a breath as he touches his cheek. As he looks back at Robin, he already has another arrow nocked. "You almost killed Much." Robin said, voice shaking slightly with anger. "You shot Eva—"

Hearing her name he smiles. "Yes… Eva, I've met her. She's a special woman…"

"Stay away from her Guy." Robin growls. "This is between you and I."

Smirking, Guy lunges at the desk and slides the books on top into Robin. Caught off guard, he jumps back allowing Guy to draw his sword. Staring him down, Robin sets his bow off to the side and draws his own sword. "It's time we end this."

* * *

><p>Will and I search the guardhouse from top to bottom, including the commander's quarters but found no sign of the ledger. As we tried to think of where else it could be, we hear the sound of guards running down the corridor. Will and I glance at each other with a mix of confused and suspicious expressions. "Looks like our time is up." Will says. We run out the door follow the last few guards to where we see Isaac and John fighting off guards with Allan fighting some more guards behind them. Will and I run over and help to lessen the groups. I knock out a guard as he lifted his sword to strike Will and looked around at the fight. Everybody was here except Robin. Allan slices down the last guard near him and I call over the sound of swords clashing. "Where's Robin?"<p>

A guard from near John charges at him and he knocks him into wall with a kick to the stomach. "I don't know. He just told me to find you guys and head to the forest near the north road. He said he'd meet us there."

"Oh no…" I mutter with a frown. I knew exactly where he was going. I hear a startled cry from down the hall and rush in the direction of the sound. I stop at the doorway of the Sheriff's office to find a furious Robin with his sword pressed up to the throat of a cornered Gisborne. "Robin!" I yell. "We have to go!"

His gaze burned into Gisborne and I heard him mutter, "Not until the bastard pays for his crimes."

"We don't have time for this!" I urge with a quick glance down the hallway to the fight. "We have what we came for."

Guy kicks Robin making him stumble backwards but he catches himself and they strike at each other only to cross swords. "You traitor!" He yells. "You killed the rightful King of England, you killed Marian and then you tried to kill Much!" He elbows Guy to stun him and takes a slight step back. "I should have killed you when I had the chance." He growled.

I sheath my sword and take my bow off my shoulder. "Robin, stop. Don't taint our cause with his blood."

"I'm doing this for the cause! For England! For us! He hurt you and almost killed Much." He frowns. "He's taken away every single person I've ever loved and cared about. I'm not going to give him a chance to take you or anybody else." As he says this I notice Guy's smirk. Little did Robin know that as he said that, he signed his own death warrant.

"Robin, please!" I plead. "Come with me. Do it for Much…." I glance at Guy's smirk and feel a burning hatred for both myself and Guy wash over me for what I say next. "Do it for me."

As I say this, Robin turns to attack him but Guy's arm is already raised and getting ready to strike. Quickly I shoot an arrow at Guy's arm and pin his sleeve to the wall above his head. As Gisborne tries to free his arm, I use the opportunity to run in and pull Robin away. We get into hallway and he pulls his arm free from my grasp. "Get everybody back to the meeting area." He commands. "I'll be right behind you." I grab him by the front of his shirt as he tries to reenter the room just as Guy frees himself.

"No." With all my strength, I pull him back and shoot another arrow at Guy, this time pinning his side. I push Robin down the hallway and we run as Guy calls for backup. We're halfway down the hallway when we hear more guards coming up behind us. Robin continues and starts yelling to the gang to disperse while I stop and start to shoot down some of the guards. I take down a few but the others continue to charge at me. Knowing I can't get them all in time, I quickly pivot around and run after Robin. The others are gone as we run down a hallway only to only find another group charging towards us from the other end. "We're surrounded." I say. "Now what? We can't take them all down."

Robin looks around before grabbing my hand. "Come with me." He says as he pulls me with him across the hall to a doorway. "In here."

I follow him into a small privy were a toilet stood dauntingly. Robin lifts the seat and the stench wafts up making my stomach knot up. "Hurry. It's our only option." Robin says, glancing back at the door. "It spills out a rubbish bin near the ward. We'll grab some horses on our way out."

A guard appears in the door, his sword raised.

"Go!" I yell as I smash my elbow into him. "I'll follow you."

Robin is about to argue as I knock out another guard. "GO!"

He goes through the hole and I hit yet another guard. I hear Robin's voice faintly as he calls for me. Another guard appears and I hit him with the door. As he stumbles back into his fellow guards, I sling my bow over my head and arm and jump down the hole. I slide down and land in a giant rubbish pile which Robin holds his hand out to help me out. We run out into the ward and start towards the stables when I spot our cart with the caskets spilling rock all over. I motion to Robin and we quickly jump onto the seat and take off as quickly as possible. We start to ride back towards the way we came in when we hear a group of soldiers on horseback following us. Robin tries to help by throwing the caskets of stones at the guards, hitting some of their horses. They slow down a bit allowing us to get ahead when an arrow whizzes past me and hits one of the horses. Our cart begins to slow so I hand the reins off to Robin. I take my bow and turning around, I shoot a couple guards down but they continue to gain on us.

"We have to get rid of the cart." Robin yells. Taking out a knife he cuts some of the straps. "Hop on that horse." He calls to me, motioning to the uninjured horse. I jump onto the back of the horse and hear it whiney in protest but use my own knife to cut away some of the straps. With a single strap attaching us to the cart and other horse, Robin jumps on behind me and holds onto me. "Go!" He calls, cutting the last strap. We race forward and Robin looks back and lets out a laugh. "Perfect! The cart slowed them own a little. We should be able to get a good distance away before we ditch the horse and start walking through the woods. "

We do, as he said, get pretty far but stop near the side. I give the horse a slap to get it to run off. "Come on!" I say motioning to the forest. "We'll hide in the undergrowth." Another arrow whizzes past and I here Robin cry out before we duck into the undergrowth. Lying flat, we wait as we hear them get closer.

"They went into the forest." One guy exclaims. Their horses come close and we wait with baited breath as they walk closer and closer before assuming we had escaped. The men leave back towards the road and ride off but we stay still a few moments before finally getting back up. As we stand up, I walk over to Robin as he holds his side. "Are you okay?" I ask, eyeing the blood on his hand.

He nods. "Yeah. One of the arrows sliced open my side. Djaq should be able to stitch it up with no problem." We stand there for a moment, taking in the quiet of the woods. It would be dark soon.

"We should find a creek or something so we can clean off and clean your wound."

"There's an old farming couple not too far from here" Robin says. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind letting us use some water from his well and possible let us sleep in his barn. In the morning we can head back to the cave and regroup."

* * *

><p>We walk until the sky is a medium shade of blue when we finally reach a cottage, its windows bright with life within. We knock on the door and wait until an older woman with grey streaked hair opens the door. "Yes?" She asks.<p>

"Hello Avice." Robin greets.

She squints at him for a moment before her expressions softens. "Robin! It's good to see you!" She steps back and motions us inside. "Come in! Come in!"

An elderly man looks up from the table he's sitting at when we appear. He, too, stands at the sight of Robin. "Robin! What brings you here?" He sees our dirty appearance and frowns. "What happened to you two?"

"I'll get you both some water to clean up." Avice says from behind us.

"I'm so sorry for calling on you so late, Hugh." Robin says. "My gang and I had run into a bit of trouble in Nottingham." Robin explains to the man about hearing about the taxes and our plan to infiltrate the castle, leaving out our run in with Gisborne.

"We retrieved the ledger but just barely made it out." I add. "The rest of the gang escaped but we were followed."

The man's eyes widened slightly. "Did they follow you here?"

"No. We were able to lose them before we decided to come here…." He looks at me than back at the man. "We were hoping to use some water from your well and stay in your barn for the night, if that's okay."

"That is more than fine!" Avice says walking up from behind us. "Would you like some food as well? It's still hot!"

"Yes!" The man smiles. "Please have some food after you clean off. Avice and I have some spare clothes you two can wear for the night. We'll wash your clothes tonight and leave them near the fire tonight and tomorrow morning so they can dry."

"Thank you both so much." Robin says. "I promise you that we will repay you."

"It's our pleasure Robin." The man smiles. "You know we don't have much to offer but you're a friend and your gang has saved us before."

* * *

><p>We take turns changing in the couple's bedroom and eat a small supper of porridge, turnips, dark barely bread and ale. After eating, I asked Avice for some bandages, a needle, some thread then we thanked the couple once again for everything before retiring to the barn. It was mainly empty with hay in the stalls as its only occupants. With the candle that Avice gave us, I put it on a nearby crate as I waited for Robin to remove his shirt.<p>

"Are you sure you know how to do this?" He asks.

I put the needle in the candle flame. "Don't you trust me?" I ask, giving him a smirk.

"I trust you. I'm just not sure how well you can sew." I give him an annoyed glance making him chuckle.

I look back down at the flame. "For your information, I am wonderful at sewing." I flash him cheeky smile. I lie the needle on the candle holder and take the small cloth and soak it in the basin of water. "Lie back and on your side." I pick up the rag, ring out excess water and press it to the wound. He sucks in a breath.

"Sorry. I need to clean it first." I frown.

"It's fine. Just stings a little."

I clean the wound and dry it with the end of the smock Avice lent me. Luckily Robin's wound wasn't bleeding anymore. As I dried it, I noticed Robin look over at my bared leg from the raised end of the smock and the blood rushed to my cheeks. "Sorry. I had nothing else that was dry."

"It's okay." He said in a low tone, hiding a smirk.

I pick up the needle. "This will hurt." I warn. "But I will try to be quick."

"Do as you must." He says, clenching his jaw. I stick the needle in making him wince but he remains silent. I get about halfway done when I speak again. "May I ask you something?"

"Like?"

"In the Holy Land when Marian and Richard died at the hands of Gisborne…" I feel him tense up beneath my hands and pause. I mentally scorn myself for bringing it up and am about to apologize when he replies.

"What about it?"

"Why didn't you kill Gisborne while you were there?" I ask, quietly.

There was a long silence. So long I thought I had angered him.

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have –" I start to say when he cuts me off.

"I wasn't able to." He says a little above a whisper. "As Marian laid dying in my arms, the coward fled. He fled and was gone for months." He shifts a little to look at me. "One of these days, I _will_ kill him and the sheriff. One day, nobody will be able to stop me. Their days are numbered."

His words resonated with me as I thought about when I cradled William in my arms as he lay dying. I was so filled with grief and anger that I was oblivious to the chilling rain and mud that drenched me to the bone. I quickly look away, anxious to change the subject. "So now that we no longer have our cart, how will we transport the money back to Mansfield?" I finish stitching him up and tie the thread before telling him to sit up so I can wrap the bandage around him to protect the stitching.

"I'm not quite sure." He frowns. "We'll have to figure that out when we regroup."

We fall silent and he watches me as I wrap the bandage around him. I kneel before him and wrap it around one side and then shift my leg on the other side of his to reach the other side. I wrap the bandage around and around, my heart beating faster and faster as I feel his gaze on me. I secure the bandage and start to move back but feel his arm encircle me. "So is this how you do it?" I giggle.

"Do what?" He smiles, a playful glint in his eye. I take his face in my hands and press a small kiss to his lips before pulling away.

"Seduce a woman."

He chuckles as he brings on hand up and gently traces my collarbone with his fingertips. "I have no idea what you're talking about." His fingers hook around the neckline of my smock and he slides it off my shoulder. He looks up at me with a cocky grin and places his lips at the end and slowly makes his way to my neck. Shivers run up my spine as he kisses, licks and gently bites my bare flesh. I close my eyes, allowing myself to enjoy the tickle of his scruff on my skin and his caresses as my fingers entangle in his hair. I tilt my head allowing his lips to travel up my exposed neck. His arms encircle me as he pulls me closer to him. His hands begin to roam up my back and I pull away before he finds my scars. "Robin…"

He looks at me, a concerned look on his handsome face. "Did I hurt you?"

I shake my head. "No. I'm more worried about hurting you…." I frown, glancing at his side. "Your stitches—"

He chuckles, pulling me close once more. "I'll be fine." His lips capture mine in a slow and tender kiss. His hands guide me so that I am sitting on his lap, facing him. As the kiss becomes more urgent, his hands find their way from the back of my legs, travel under the smock and up to my hips, pulling me closer. Feeling his arousal through his breeches, I feel a desire rise up through me so strong that I feared it would swallow me whole.

We part for moment as he carefully shifts to lay me back on the hay so he could situate himself next to me. Leaning over, he trails little kisses along my jaw and inches lower. He pauses and raises his head to look at me with passion filled eyes.

"You seem very experienced." I muse, running my finger along the line of his jaw.

Grinning he moves so he kneels before my bend legs and rests his hands on my knees. I give him a curious look. "I guess you can say that." He grins as he gently pushes my legs apart. "I've enjoyed the company a few women in my time." He leans forward presses a kiss to the inside of my leg near my kneecap, sending chills through me.

"Before Marian?" I ask with a slight frown. "Or after?" As I ask this I feel a pang of jealousy.

Robin pauses for a moment as he looks at the part of my leg, uncovered by the smock.

"It was when I was in the Holy Land with the king." He replies.

I frown. "Weren't you engaged?"

Sitting up, he looks at me as he puts a hand on each of my knees. "I was…." He looks at me seriously. "It was foolish but I didn't know if I'd make it home." He glances down at on of his hands as he idly rubs his thumb on my leg. "After I came back and reconnected with Marian, I haven't touched another woman."

"So am I a special case then?" I ask playfully, hoping to lighten the mood.

Smiling, he crawls between my legs and places a hand on either side of me on the haystack behind me. He presses a kiss to my lips before pulling away to look at me. "You are an incredibly beautiful woman."

"And you're very charming." I chuckle. I stare at my hands for a moment as I his scruffy jawline. He plants little kisses on my wrists making me giggle. "Did you mean what you said about me at the castle?"

He kisses me again. "What did I say?"

I bring my hands up and move them over his arms. "You said that Guy took away every single person you ever loved and cared about…" I say, idly tracing my fingers over his forearms.

"He has."

"Then you said you weren't going to let him me…" I meet his gaze. "Is that your way of telling me you love me?" There's a pause and as much as I wanted to hear him say it, I'm filled with guilt as I am reminded of what it would mean if he did.

A moment of silence passes as I await his answer.

"I'll admit, I'm not the best at declaring my love for women." He finally says. "In fact, it wasn't until it was when Marian laid dying in my arms that I finally told her how much I loved her."

I look up into his eyes. "I'm sure she always knew, Robin."

He nods. "She did…." He gives me a smile. "But I'm not going to make that mistake again."

My heart starts to pound as he leans closer to me. "Eva…I love you."

My eyes start to tear up not entirely from happiness but from the pain of what was to come. "I love you too, Robin."

Grinning, he shifts onto one hand and uses the other to wipe my tears before cupping my cheek. He leans in for a kiss before pulling away for a moment to undo his breeches before lowering himself between my legs.

* * *

><p>Our coupling was intense and passionate, allowing me to forget about all the pain, guilt, and betrayal, even if only for the moment. Afterwards as we lay together under the worn blanket, I felt a tear slip slowly down my cheek as I watched the slow rise and fall of his chest as he slept. It was the first time since I had met him that I saw him so relaxed as he slept.<p>

Untangling myself from his embrace, I stood up and fixed my smock before fixing the blanket over him. I walked over need the doors of the barn as I felt the guilt crash over me. Just the idea of killing him made me sick. _You have to._ The voice inside my head reminds me. _You're doing it for William. _

I pace back and forth, wishing he was here for guidance. He was always the voice of reason. After about an hour of wrestling with my guilt and anguish, I feel tired out and lay back down next to Robin. I look at his peaceful expression and a sudden stab of regret. "I'm sorry Robin." I whisper into the darkness. Turning away from him, I lay back on the hay with my back towards him and close my eyes and wait for my fitful sleep to wash over me.


	24. Doubt

**_A/N: Hey everyone! I am very sorry that this chapter is so late. Recently I've been dealing with school, being sick AND having technical issues. Not fun but here is the update! Finally! _**

**_Please let me know about any errors that I might have missed (probably tons lol) and most of all enjoy the chapter. Thanks for reading this far and as always, comments are appreciated!_**

* * *

><p>A slight chill in the air makes Guy fold his arms closer to himself for warmth as he stared out at the early morning light grazing over the tree tops of the forest in the distance. The only sound in the room was the opening of one of the many bird cages hanging about the room as Vaisley reached a meaty hand in to grab a small yellow bird. It chirps in protest as his hand encloses it and holds it captive in his hands. "Are you proud of yourself, Gisborne?" The sheriff testily. Guy looks over at him but remains silent as Vaisley continues. "So let me see if I understand this... You had Hood standing right in front of you and yet you just let him go?"<p>

Guy rolls his eyes in annoyance. "I didn't just let him go. Eva—"

"Oh, don't tell me!" The sheriff exclaims, feigning excitement. "You were so busy staring at her like a little lovesick puppy that she was able to pin you to the wall allowing her and hooded thief to escape." With his last words he began to squeeze the creature in his hands until there was a sickening crunch and the chirping stilled. Opening his hands, he looked down at the dead bird, sucking in a shocked breath before turning his fury back towards Guy. "And yet while I sit here trying to think of how to tell the King that his taxes were taken by Robin Hood, you're just standing there grinning like an idiot!" He tosses the dead bird at Gisborne. It rolls off his chest and lands on the floor making him before turning his attention back to the sheriff.

Vaisely walks around his table and picks up the recurved bow lying on the floor.

"Hood has confessed that he cares for Eva." Guy says.

Vaisely looks the bow over— pausing for a moment as Gisborne's words sink in. "What do you mean?" He asks casting a sideways glance at Guy.

Guy grins. "Robin's fate has been sealed. He admitted his feelings for Eva."

Vaisley purses his lips and takes a seat. Thoughtfully he plucks at the string of the bow. "Are you sure about this?"

"I heard it with my own ears." Guy smirks. "Robin should be dead very soon. All we have to do is wait."

Vaisley leans back in his chair with a toothy grin. "Perfect."

* * *

><p>Robin stands before me- the sun shines down on the forest floor creating little patterns through the trees overhead. I glance down at my hand as I feel something in it weighting me down. My dagger is clasped in my hand and I jump slightly. I try to release it as Robin steps toward me but its as if some unknown force keeps my hand clasped around the handle. Try as I might, the dagger refused to drop. "Robin!" I call out desperately. "Stay away from me! I don't want to hurt you!"<p>

His face remains fixed in a smile as he continues to advance towards me.

"Kill him!" I hear the Sheriff shout. I quickly glance around me but see only Robin. "Kill him already!"

I give my head a violent shake as if to clear the voices. "No!" I shout.

Suddenly there's a clash of thunder and a bolt of lightning. Robin is gone and it's as though the heavens opened up and it began to downpour. I glance around me in a panic, crying out his name. "Robin!" I glance down and I feel my breath catch as I see Robin lying in the mud, blood pouring out of the puncture wound near his heart. His eyes are closed as if just in a very deep sleep. I look at the blood stained dagger in my hand and let it fall form my grasp into the mud. I kneel beside him and look at him in disbelief. Did I really just kill Robin? "Robin!" I call to him. I know he can't hear me but I call him again anyways. "Robin!"

"Eva." I hear his voice but don't see him budge. I look around me at the saturated woods for the voice.

"Robin!"

"Eva!" He calls again. I feel myself get shaken.

"Robin!" Another shake and I feel myself pulled back from my unconsciousness to see a worried Robin leaning over me. Shaking and out of breath, I'm able to whisper his name as I cling to him. He pulls me to his chest and rubs my back in attempt to calm me.

"It's okay Eva..." He mutters. "It was just a nightmare."

I bury my face in his shoulder as I try to erase the image of his bloody form out of my mind. A tear rolls down my cheek and I quickly wipe it away. When I finally pull myself away I take a couple deep breaths. "Sorry..." I mutter, unable to look him in the eye.

"For what?"

I feel the heat rise in my cheeks. "For waking you...sorry."

He wraps an arm around me and pulls me closer to him and cups my cheek, tilting my face to look at him. "There's no need to apologize."

I feel myself start to tear up out of embarrassment and quickly avert my eyes. He lowers his head slightly and just barely brushes my lips with his. I hug closer to him and bury my face in his bare chest and idly run my fingers through the back of his hair. The sound of his steady relaxed breathing calmed me and I was soon asleep once more.

* * *

><p>Early the next morning, Robin and I change back into our own clothes and join Avice and Hugh for a small meal. After we finish eating, Robin presses a small pouch into Hugh's hand. "This is all I have with me right now." Robin explains. "It's in payment for your hospitality and kindness." They thank him and wish us a safe journey. Robin starts to in the direction of the forest but I stay back for a moment.<p>

"Is everything alright dear?" Avice asks. I dig into one of the pouches on my belt and pull out four marks I was saving from William's stash and hand it to Avice with a smile. "I've been saving up for a while." I say as they look down at the coins with shock. "Thank you again for everything you've done for us." I look over at Robin who has now stopped and shoots me a curious glance.

"Bless you both!" Hugh smiles. Avice tears up as she pulls me into a hug. As soon as she lets me go, I bid them farewell and rejoin Robin.

"It was a good thing you did just then." Robin says as soon as we're under the green canopy of the forest.

I smile. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Chuckling, he takes my hand. "Eva..." I stop for a moment to look at him. He smiles at me as he steps closer and cups my cheek. "I know you gave them more money. Thank you."

"It was the least I could do." I smile. "They were so kind to us even when we showed up at night smelling like a rubbish bin."

He laughs. "We _did_ smell pretty terrible."

"Absolutely horrible." I giggle. As our laughing subsides, he brushes a lock of hair away from my face and leans in. Our lips met for a small kiss then once we start to pull away, Robin wraps his arms around me and pulls me into his embrace. "So how are you doing?" He asks, a concerned look on his handsome face.

I smile at him. "Never better." I lie. "Thank you for helping me through that..."

"It was my pleasure." He grins going in for another kiss.

As we pull away, I fake a smile while inside my heartbeat quickens and my stomach knots up. I love this man and yet I have to keep a giant, deadly, secret from him. A part of me yearns to confess my betrayal to him but my mouth remains shut. Can I really do this? Can I really take, not just any life, but the life of a man I actually care for just to avenge another?

I press a small kiss to his lips before breaking away from his embrace. "We need to get back so Djaq can examine your side. Once you are taken care of we can form a plan to give back the money owed to the people of Mansfield."

He give me his usual charming smile. "To be continued later then."

* * *

><p>Isaac paces back and forth in front of the cave entrance. Where was Eva and Robin? Did she do the job and is now in hiding? Were they captured?<p>

John walks up behind him and lays a hand on his shoulder. "Isaac." He says. Isaac turns to look at the older man. "I know you're worried about your sister and Robin after we left them. We all are."

"I know." Isaac sighs. "I'm just worried that they might have gotten captured or injured after we left them." He pauses. "I know they're both great fighters and are fully capable of taking care of themselves but they're only human."

"I know." John replies. "I'm sure they're fine. They most likely made camp and started back late. I'm sure they're on their way as we speak."

"Plus, we have the ledger." Allan adds from inside. "So that's one less thing to worry about."

Isaac nods decidedly and walks back into the cave. "Allan." He says making him look up from sharpening his sword. "Aren't there some boxes and bags in that storage area you showed me?"

"Yeah, tons. Why?"

"I think I know what he's getting at." John inputs. "He wants us to put all the money into the boxes and bags for easier carrying."

"Close." Isaac looks between the two men. "I think that while we wait for Robin and Eva to return, we should go through the ledger and sort the money according to who paid what amount. That way it'll be easier for when we give it back."

"I'm not being funny," Allan says with a huge grin. "But that's pretty brilliant." Setting his whetstone aside he hops up and sheaths his sword. "We should head over there now. It might take a few trips and there's a lot to sort through." Isaac nods in agreement. "John, stay here and guard the cave." He instructs. "We'll be back as soon as we can." He starts to follow Allan out of the cave but pauses. "If you see Will, ask him to try and start sorting the money."

John agrees and sits on a large stone as he watches the two men leave.

* * *

><p>After a while, our journey comes to an end. We reach the cave as the sun begins to set, basting us in an orange glow. We would have made it a bit earlier but we stopped along the way to rest. Robin wanted to keep going but I recommended he stop every so often so he wouldn't overexert himself.<p>

We arrive at the mouth of the cave to find no one around. We would have started to worry had it not been for sounds of conversation coming from within. We head inside to find everyone including Djaq and, surprisingly Much, inside. Isaac, Will and Alan are busy counting out money and putting them in assorted boxes and sacks from a nearby pile while Djaq reads off names and amounts from the ledger. Hearing our footsteps they quickly turn to look, weapons ready. Seeing us, everybody smiles. "Robin!" Much exclaims, joyfully from his seat next to John. "Thank God you're alive!"

"As are you." Robin smiles as he walks over to his friend. "It's good to see you up and about. How are you feeling?"

"I hurt all over but I feel much better than before." He motions of to Djaq. "Thanks to Djaq."

At the sound of her name, she looks over and smiles. "It'll take a bit of time but I'm sure Much will make a full recovery." Robin thanks her and goes back to talking to Much while Isaac walks over to me. He pulls me into a hug, "Are you alright?"

I hug him back. "I'm fine." I turn my head in towards his neck. "We need to talk." I whisper just loud enough for him to hear. He gives a slight nod as we part. "Let's go sit outside and you can tell me all about it." He says. He tells Will and Allan that he'll be back and motions for me to follow. We step outside and walk a little ways. We look around and look over at the cave entrance before he turns to look at me. "What happened?"

I told him the whole story including Robin's confession of love for me. I left out my intimate activities that came afterwards but I'm sure he knew something had happened. He smiles. "That's perfect!" With his excitement I detected a touch of sadness. "That means our job is nearly done."

I nod. "Yeah... I guess so."

Noticing my lack of excitement, he frowns. "Eva, I know you've been having second thoughts about this...but if we don't follow through, we'll be killed." As he says this, I see the fear in his eyes. "We can't avenge William if we're dead."

I feel the urge to cry but hold it back. "I know... It's just..."

Isaac puts his hands on my shoulders and looks me in the eye. "Honestly, I don't want to do it either. These guys have been like another family to me just like the Shadows have but... it's our lives or his."

Tears start to form and he pulls me into a hug. We stand there hugging in silence for a while until I pull away to wipe away any tears that spilled down my cheeks. Robin appears at the entrance and calls over to Isaac and we walk over to him. "So John tells me it was your idea to start dividing up the money so that it'd be easier to return." Robin says to Isaac.

He nods. "It was. I figured that instead of just waiting around while we awaited your return, we'd start preparing the money."

Robin grins, placing a hand on his shoulder. "That was good thinking Isaac." He removes his hand and looks between us. "Now we just need to find a way to get it all back to Mansfield and we'll be in the clear."

Isaac beams at Robin and heads back into the cave. I start to follow but Robin grabs my arm to stop me. He gives me a worried glance. "Are you alright? You look as though you've been crying."

"I'm fine." I lie, offering him a smile. "I was just happy to find my brother safe. I was worried that they might have gotten followed as well."

"John told me that nobody else was followed. Looks like we were a good enough distraction."

"Lucky us." I groan. He chuckles.

"I know it wasn't ideal but it allowed your brother and everyone to get back in one piece."

"Almost everyone." I frown. My eyes flick down to his side. "Speaking of which, did Djaq check you out yet?"

He chuckles once more and pulls me close, bringing a hand up to push a lock of my hair out of my face and cups my cheek. "Not yet."

"Robin!" I begin to scorn when his lips crash against mine. After a moment I push him back a little. "Damn it, Robin!" I say, a laugh slipping out. "You can't just kiss me to shut me up."

"Well I _am_ a thief..." He says with a grin. "Stealing kisses from women when they least expect it is sort of my specialty." He tries to go in for another kiss but I press my hand against his lips. "You need to get checked out." I say, suppressing a laugh. "She is better with those sorts of things than I am."

"She is a bit preoccupied at the moment helping the lads with the money. Once she is free, I will have her look at it."

"Promise?"

He grins. "I promise." He leans in for another kiss and I let him this time muttering against his lips, "Oh you damn thief." He chuckles and pulls me closer.

* * *

><p>As I reentered the cave, Robin's words echoed inside my head. <em>That was good thinking Isaac.<em> He looked so proud of me. I felt a knot in my stomach as I thought about our upcoming job. Would Eva be able to do her job when the opportunity arose? If she wasn't, would I have to carry it out for her? The very thought made bile rise in my throat. In our time with the gang, Robin has grown to be like a brother to me. I shake my head to clear the unpleasant thoughts as I rejoin Will, Alan and Djaq.

"How's Eva?" Allan asks as I sit down between him and Will. "Robin told us about how they were followed."

"A bit shaken but other than that, she's fine." He smiles. "She tough."

"I'll have to check on her arm after their little spill in the rubbish bin." I hear Djaq say quietly to herself. That reminds me about what Eva said about Robin. "Hey Djaq," She looks up at me. "Eva told me that when they were being followed, Robin got a gash on his side."

She frowns. "He never said anything about a wound."

"A guard tried to shoot him but it just cut his side open a little." I explain. "When they stopped for the night, Eva tried to stitch him up but said she wanted you to take a look at it just in case."

"Did she tell you if she cleaned the wound?"

I nod. "She did."

"Good. Then I'll wait until the morning to check on it. That way we can get this money sorted out and ready to go for tomorrow."

"Speaking of that, how are we going to get all this to Mansfield?" Allan asks. "It'll take forever to transport it on foot!"

"That's exactly what I was about to bring up." Robin says as him and Eva reenter the cave. He looks around at the gang. "When Eva and I were followed, we had our initial cart but had to lose it after it slowed us down. Therefore, we need a new plant."

"Not too far from here there's an old cart that's been abandoned." Will suggests. "It's a little broken but I'm sure I can fix it."

"Good idea, Will. You and I can go check it out tomorrow morning"

"Either before or after that, I can take a look at your side." Djaq pipes up. He gives her a confused look for a moment before it occurs to him who told her. "Thanks Djaq." He glances around. "So, who's hungry?"

* * *

><p>For the next few days, the gang kept busy. Robin and Will had found and examined the abandoned cart and with a couple days work, Will had it ready for us to load the money. Once he had done his part, he disappeared for the next few days to work on some "project". In his absence, I helped the rest of the gang load the cart and whatever miscellaneous jobs that would allow me to avoid being alone with Robin. Guy had heard Robin's confession meaning he would be awaiting my confirmation of Robin's death. I decided that until I had thought things through, avoiding Robin was the only way to slow my mission.<p>

The day finally came for us to make our trek to Mansfield. The cart was fully loaded with all the bags and chests before being covered with a large cloth to conceal it. We left Much with Djaq since he was still unfit to travel let alone fight if the time came. We said our goodbyes then headed back along the path. Robin and Allan rode in front of the cart while the remaining three (Me, John and Isaac) rode in the back. We stopped a few times to water the horses and occasionally ate some of the food Much had left for us. Robin made an attempt every so often to talk but I made excuses to do other things and wandered off. I knew that he was confused by my sudden withdrawal after only days ago we were so close in the barn but until I figured out my next move, I couldn't put him in danger.

Near Mansfield, we sent Isaac out to scout the area for signs of Gisborne and his guards. He returned with news that Guy was nowhere in sight and we entered the town. Stopping right in the middle, everybody except Robin hopped out of the cart and waited next to it while Robin stood up. A few villagers looked over with interest. "Good people of Mansfield!" Robin shouts. More people look and start to walk over. "You all have unfairly been taxed by the Sheriff and his men." There's a ripple of whispers and some people nodding. "I, for one, will not tolerate this." He motions to Allan who hands him the ledger. Robin holds the book high in the air. "This is an account of what each household has paid in these taxes which I am now going to return to their rightful owners!"

Hearing this, the people surround us excitedly as Robin hops down from his perch and guides people over to form a line and we begin returning the money, one household at a time.


	25. Interlude: Loss

_A/N: Hello everyone! Long time, I know. I've been so busy lately with school and rewriting this story that I've put off rewatching the last episode of Season two of Robin Hood. Why is that? Let me tell you. Many people have been wondering what happened in the Holy land to leave both Marian and Richard dead. Well, ask and you shall receive. Since Betrayal takes place a few years after Season two ends (I know, it was only a few months that passed at the start of season 3) so I wanted to follow what happened in the last episode so that when it came to the deaths, I could alter it so that it would fit with the show. The Shadow Hunter Trilogy (Betrayal being book #1!) is supposed to replace Season 3. That of course means that there's no Kate, and no Tuck. Other characters from season 3 may show up but in a different way... That's all I can say ;)_

_Also, since I was going directly off the episode (with some changes to fit the story) the story switches characters a lot. I apologize about this and hope you will bear with me. This chapter isn't my best work, I'll admit that, but the whole point was to show what happened to Marian and the King._

_So now, without further ado, here's the flashback of what happened in Acre! Enjoy!_

_Five Years Ago in Acre..._

Vaisley, his two hired assailants, the rogue crusader, and Gisborne tear through broken archway into the city with Robin's gang and the King in pursuit. Nearing the center, Vaisley pulls up on his reins and slows his horse to a stop. "Stay here" He points to one of the assassins. "We can still get the King." He then points to the rogue and other assailant. "You two, " He calls pointing off in the distance, "over there!" The three of them quickly dismount and disperse to their positions as Vaisley turns to look at Guy. "Gisborne! With me!" They ride off just as Richard and Carter catch sight and start after them. The imposter off to the side aims his crossbow at the King when Much rides up quickly behind the King. The imposter shoots and barley misses him but spooks the horse. Much dodges the bolt and leans too far to the side causing both him and the horse to fall over. He quickly scrambles away as the horse gets back on its feet just as Robin approaches.

Robin dismounts and ducks behind some sacks next to Much. "This is a trap..." Robin says, quickly looking around. He turns to look at his friend. "Are you alright?"

Still in shock, Much nods. "Yeah."

The imposter scowls as he grabs his crossbow and flees as Robin looks around once more, alarmed. "Where's the King?"

"He went after the sheriff!" Much replies. Hearing somebody behind him, Robin turns to see that he's joined by Marian.

"We need to get him out of here..."Robin says as they all look around for the assailant. "NOW!" Much unsheathes his sword as Robin jumps up and runs in the direction Much said the King went. He turns the corner and passes the assailant whom is hiding out in a nearby holding. Seeing Robin run past him, he scowls and silently leaves his hiding place.

Vaisley and Gisborne stand behind a corner. Gisborne nocks an arrow as he peers around the corner to find his target while Vaisley watches behind them. "Keep them pinned down." He says. "I'll go round the back." Vaisley sneaks off as Guy steps forward and raises his bow. He waits until he sees a blonde head peek out from the pillar ahead of him and shoots. Carter ducks behind the pillar as the arrow whizzes past. He looks over at the King who is still mounted on his horse. "Quickly. You must get out of here." He gives the King a nod. "Leave them to me."

Richard rides off and Carter unsheathes his sword and makes a mad dash after Gisborne. He stops as he sees him running away and round a corner, disappearing from his sight.

Alan, Will, Djaq and John run between the dwellings only to stop and look around for any sign of the King or Robin. "This is not right." John frowns. "Split up!"

The gang does as he says and branches off into different area.

Robin pauses to a moment to catch his breath and look around. Seeing the King not too far off, he looks around for a vantage point. He finds one on a nearby dwelling and quickly climbs up as the King towards him, unaware of his presence. Robin readies an arrow and scans the area around the King. Richard looks up and spots him, his sword ready to strike down any foe he sees. Seeing no enemies nearby. He motions to the King. "Come on."

As he says this, one of the assailants sneaks up behind him. Richard sees the man ready his sword to strike and throws his sword. The sword flies through the air and, as Robin turns to look behind him, buries itself into the man's chest. The man falls down and Robin looks over at his King with a surprised expression. Richard motions for him to go find the Sheriff. Robin nods and leaves his spot while the King rides off. As he leaves, the imposter exits a nearby dwelling, and readies his crossbow. Seeing this from a nearby roof, Robin quickly nocks an arrow and shoots him down. The crossbow falls to the ground seconds before he does but Robin has no time to run after the king as the Sheriff's rogue crusader runs towards him from the roof adjacent to his. The crusader jumps up onto the ledge of his roof and, before Robin can draw his sword, punches him square in the jaw. Robin falls onto his back and holds his jaw.

The King continues to trot between the dwellings as Vaisley and Gisborne step out from behind a wall behind him. Bow and arrow in hand, Vaisley dips the tip of his arrow into a pouch beneath his coat and hands the bow and poisoned arrow to Gisborne. "Do it." Gisborne takes the bow and nocks the arrow and aims at the King. "Long live the King!" Vaisley shouts causing Richard to slow down. "Now." He grins. Gisborne pulls back on the string and lets it go. The arrow flies through the air and sinks itself into his left shoulder. As the arrow pierces him, Richard let's out a pained cry. The sound travels through the empty streets.

Frowning, Vaisley starts over to the King but stops near an interaction as he sees Carter running towards him from the lane perpendicular from his. He quickly back petals with Carter in pursuit and ducks behind a wall, pulling out a dagger. Carter swings his sword and follows Vaisley into the dwelling. He barely gets through the doorway when Vaisley turns and stabs him in the gut with his dagger. He doubles over and the Sheriff twists it before pulling it out and pushing him to the ground. Looking down at the bleeding soldier, Vaisley smiles. "Bye-bye, Blondie." He hisses.

Robin is down and the rogue kneels down and grabs him by the neck and begins to squeeze. As he chokes him he slams Robin's head back until, seeing somebody approach he looks up. Much raises his sword with a scowl. "We meet again." He says with a swift slice at the rogue. He cuts the man's neck which makes him release Robin. His eyes go wide as he falls back clutching his neck to stop the bleeding. This allows Much to hold out his hand to help Robin up. "Are you alright?" He asks just as Robin had asked him earlier. Robin huddles over as he takes a couple breaths before nodding. "Thanks Much." He straightens and quickly takes the dead man's sword. "Come on. The King needs us."

Richard slumps over on his horse as pain radiates through his shoulder. As his horse trots near a little fountain, he leans off to the side and falls off, landing on his good arm with a groan. He rolls onto his stomach and, clutching his hurt shoulder with his good arm, tries his best to crawl over to the fountain so that he can try to stand. Aside from the pain, he can feel the blood from his wound trickling down his back and soaking his clothes. As he makes his desperate crawl, Guy rounds the corner and sees the wounded King. Smirking, he starts toward him when Marian appears across the large open space from him. She descends the small set of stairs and runs towards him. "Guy! Stop!"

Guy draws his sword and glances around nervously as if Robin and his gang were hiding in the shadows. She runs up to him and stops just a few feet away, out of breath. "Stop! It's over Guy."

Guy holds his sword out at her and advances. "Get out if the way."

She walks backwards as he continues. "All this time, I've been fighting for England. You think I'm going to let you kill England?"

Guy glances over at Richard who is still on the ground, holding his hurt shoulder writhing in pain. He looks back at Marian. "Marian, get out of the way!" He shouts with a swipe of his sword. Marian steps back a step more even though it was more of a scare tactic than to hurt her. They continue towards Richard and she smirks up at him. "You'll have to kill me first." She knows he loves her and can't hurt her. She knows she's his weakness as he frowns. "No." He says. "We'll get out of this. I'm going to do this thing." He sounds as if he's trying to convince himself. "And then I'll have power beyond measure. And we _will_ be together." Marian's smirk never falters as she laughs. "What?" He demands. "What's so funny?"

"I would rather die than be with you Guy of Gisborne."

He shakes his head In disbelief. "No..."He whispers.

"I'm going to marry Robin Hood."

Guy looks at her in shock. A moment passes as he watches her face for any sign that she's joking. "I love Robin Hood." She realizes what she just said as if she just now realized her feelings. Looking down she bites her lip with smile like a little girl who just admitted her crush. Looking up at him once more. "I love Robin Hood." With every word she says, pain shoots through his chest as if he was stabbed in the heart. Without thinking, he tries to reach out for her but, using his hand with his sword, he stabs her. She gives a pained cry and as he rushes to hold her, his sword sinks deeper into her and she gasps. He holds her, shocked at what he's done and unsure what to do. Her eyes meet his before she falls to the ground. Shaking, he looks down at her just as Robin's voice splits the silence. "Marian!"

Robin runs towards her and Guy just stands there, his locked in a shocked expression until his grief over what he just did finally registers. Behind Robin, the rest of his gang appears as they to run over to Marian. "No!" Much yells. Djaq spots the King who is now lying still and quickly kneels next to him.

Guy is so overcome with emotion that he feels as though he will fall over from the weight of his guilt and grief. "Gisborne!" The Sheriff's voice calls out as he runs over to the King's horse, breaking Guy from his trance. "It's not over, Hood! I will have England!" Guy runs over and hops onto the horse behind the Sheriff and they quickly ride off.

Will joins Djaq by the King's side so that Djaq can look at Marian's condition. The rest of the gang circles around Marian and Robin as he kneels by her side. Guy's sword is still in her and they all look on as Djaq kneels on the other side of Marian. "The King! Where's the King?" Marian asks, hysterically. Robin touches her cheek. "Marian." He says as she continues to ask. "Marian!" She stops and looks at him. "He's alright." He removes his hand from her cheek and cradles her head in his other hand as she looks over at Djaq. "You saved him." Robin says but she cuts him off.

"How's it looking down there?" She asks Djaq. Robin gives Djaq a hopeful glance but receives a solemn one in return. "Am I beyond even Djaq's amazing talent?" She says with a lighthearted laugh.

"Hang on." Robin soothes. "We'll think of something."

"Well, can you at least get this out of me?" She says with a slight whine as she touches the sword. "It hurts."

Robin loks at Djaq who violently shakes her head. Trying to hold back the tears, at least for Marian, he closes his eyes for a moment before turning his attention back to her. "Marian." He pauses a moment to control himself. "Marian, we can't take it out just yet."

Robin watches as the fear fills her eyes. "Why?" She asks. Her breathing quickens as she looks at Djaq. "Why?" Djaq gives her a saddened look but remains silent. "Will I die when it comes out?" Robin looks away for a moment and a tear spills down Djaq's cheek as she gives a slight nod. Marian leans her head back as this sinks in. She looks at Robin. "Then we haven't got much time, my darling."

His lower lip trembles as he takes her face in his hands. "We have forever, my love."

She looks away for a moment as her eyes well up with tears. "I hope we have forever in heaven because we didn't have enough time on Earth." Her bottom lip trembles. "Not nearly enough time."

"We were busy." Robin says, trying to funny as he tries not to cry.

"We were fighters and I am proud." Marian says. Robin looks away for a moment until she lifts her head slightly. "You keep fighting for me, Robin."

A tear trickles down his cheek as he fights against it. "I can't fight without you." He replies. Marian smiles and chuckles.

"I'd love to argue with you, but we haven't got the time." She reaches up to caress his cheek. "You promise me, you keep fighting." She nods and so does he, making her smile.

"I will." He whispers.

Letting out a sigh, she closes her eyes for a moment. "Now, where were we?"

"What?" He asks, just above a whisper. She smiles at him.

"The last time we were dying, we were getting married." He closes his eyes as more tears emerge. "Can we carry on, please?" She asks, sweetly.

"I can't remember." He smiles.

Marian laughs. "That's the last time I marry you, if you can't remember!"

"Robin." Robin looks up as he hears his name. The King, who is now on his feet, slowly walks over and hands him one of his rings. Robin takes it before kneeling back down next to Marian. He places the ring off to the side as he strokes her hair. With his other hand, he holds hers and looks into her eyes. "I, Robin, take you, Marian, to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, in sickness, or in health, to love and to cherish," 'Til death do us part."

She smiles up at him. "I, Marian, take you, Robin, beautiful, beautiful lord of Locksley, to be my wedded husband." Robin smiles at her and she continues. "I promise to love you and to cherish you, on Earth and especially in heaven for now and forever. 'Til death do us part." Robin smiles and nods as he holds back his tears. "Kiss me."

Robin leans in and she turns her face away with a chuckle. "No." She closes her eyes and smiles. "Give me the ring first." Robin lets her hand go for a moment as he grabs the ring. "Make an honest woman of me, Robin." She smiles. Robin slips the ring on her finger and kisses her hand. "You may kiss the bride." She smiles.

Robin leans in and gives her a kiss. As he pulls away, she looks up at him. "I love you, my husband."

"I love you, my wife." He whispers back. Smiling, he touches her cheek and gazes into her eyes. While he's distracted, Marian's hands inches towards the sword and, with one quick pull, she lets out a pained cry as she pulls it out and sets it aside.

"Shhh." Robin tries to sooth her. Feeling the life start to drain out of her, she looks up at him and gives him a weak smile. "That's better." Suddenly feeling very tired, her eyes fluttered shut and her hand, which rested on Robin's arm, fell away and she was gone. Robin looks down at his wife, frowning.

"Marian." He whispers. Her eyes remain closed and he knows for sure that it's over. Marian is gone. Stroking her cheek, he sniffs. "Marian." He whispers again. His lip trembles and he leans down and presses one last kiss to her lips while everybody looks on, saddened.

"I'm so sorry, Robin." Djaq offers. Silently, Robin scoops up Marian, like a sleeping child being carried to their bed, and stands. "There's no way we'll be able to return to England with Marian... she will have to be buried here in the Holy Land." Much starts to say something but John looks over at him, solemnly, and shakes his head. Robin turns and starts his long walk out of the city. His boots move automatically as if on their own. His heart feels heavy with his grief and the memories running through his head only makes the journey feel longer and harsher. His gang follow him into a small clearing where he stops. "We'll bury her here." Robin says quietly. Will and Allan quietly come forward and begin to dig the grave.

Once Marian is laid to rest, the gang huddles together to offer their condolences to their leader.

Suddenly, Richard let's out a pained cry as he grabs his shoulder. Robin looks over at him just as he falls to the ground. "No." Robin whispers. He looks around. "Djaq!"

Djaq quickly kneels next to him. "What's wrong?" She asks. He doesn't answer but continues to hold his shoulder. With help from John, Djaq removes the King's cloak. Gently rolling him onto his side, examines the opening in his clothing where the arrow was. "Pardon me for this..." She rips the blodsoaked fabric of his tunic and surcoat to better examine the wound.

"What is that?" Much asks, as he leans forward to see. "What is that yellow stuff coming out of his wound?"

Djaq looks up and over at Robin. "The arrow was poisoned."

"Poisoned arrow? Who would do that?" Alan asks.

"Gisborne." Robin fumes as he strokes Marian's hair. "He was the only one near him when Marian showed up." He glances at Djaq. "Can you identify the poison? Is it curable?"

Djaq glances at the wound once more. "This is a strange type of poison. Most poisons I know of kill their victims quickly... But this..." She pauses for a moment. "Did the pain just start?" She asks.

Richard winces. "I felt something earlier but I had assumed it was just the pain from being shot."

Robin looks over at his men. "Alan, go with John to find Carter. He needs to know about the King's condition." He looks down at the King helplessly as they quickly leave. He looks up at Will. "Will, the King's camp shouldn't be very far from here. Alert them of the King's condition and bring them here." Will nods quickly runs off in the direction Robin pointed. As soon as he's gone, Robin turns his attention to Djaq. "Djaq, there's got to be something you can do..."

"Robin..." The King winces as he puts his hand on Robin's arm. Robin looks down at him helplessly. "Robin, my time is up. My men will come and get my body." He winces. "Go home and grieve your loss."

"No, your majesty." Robin shakes his head. "For every man there is a purpose for which he sets up in his life. We will save you so that yours will be the doing of all good deeds."

Much looks over towards them. "That's from the Quran..." He whispers.

"Then do those deeds in my name." Richard says before letting out another pained cry.

"We'll save you, your majesty. Djaq will come up with something."

He looks back at Djaq expectantly. "Djaq..."

She looks at the wound and shakes her head. "I can try to make something to extract the poison... There should be some ingredients around here..." Another pained cry from the King makes her look up at him, worried. "Collecting what I need will go faster with some help. We need to hurry..."

"I'll go." Much volunteers but Robin shakes his head.

"No. I'll go." He and Djaq stand up. "Much, watch the King until we get back."

"But Master..." Much starts to object but Robin and Djaq are already running off. Much kneels beside the King and looks off at in the direction Robin ran. "We will save you, Your Majesty. Djaq is very talented." He smiles down at the King but his smile falters as he sees the King's eyes shut. "Your Majesty?"

As he leans down to check to see if he was still breathing, a bolt flies past his head, just grazing the tip of his ear. Turning to look behind him, he sees as the man who shot at him earlier glares at him as he readies his crossbow once more. "Hey!" Much yells. The man takes off and Much quickly stands but looks back at the King, whom is still, before looking after the man. He curses under his breath and pulls out his sword. Kneeling, he holds the blade close to the King's mouth and sees that he is still breathing. Removing the blade he leans close to his ear. "I will be right back, Your Majesty." Standing, he sees the man turn a corner. "I won't let him harm you." With that, he runs after the man.

As Much turns the corner, he is elbowed in the stomach by the man. He stumbles backwards but manages to block as the assassin strikes at him. "You won't save the King." The man hisses. "The King is dead!"

Much strikes back at him. "No he's not. There's still time!"

Ingredients in hand, Djaq and Robin quickly run back to where the King lies. "Where's Much?" Robin wonders aloud. Djaq quickly gets started slicing and grinding what she needs using her dagger and some stones as Robin kneels beside the King. "He's unconscious!" He exclaims. "He's still breathing."

"We don't have much time." Djaq says.

The sound of clashing swords echoes from nearby. Robin and Djaq exchange worried glances. "Much!"

Robin quickly stand and unsheathes his sword. "Djaq, continue what you're doing. I'll be right back."

Taking off in the direction of the sounds, Robin finds Much battling it out when two other men appear from between the buildings. He runs over to them and punches one and blocks as the other takes a swipe at him. The other man starts to get up and Robin kicks him back down.

The fight goes on until 2 of the three men are killed and the assassin flees. Having no time to feel bad about letting the man escape, Robin and Much quickly return to find a grim looking Djaq knelt next to the King. She looks up at them as they approach. "I'm sorry, Robin..."

Will returns and hunches over as he tries to catch his breath. "Will." Robin says. "Where are the King's men?"

A moment passes before he straightens. "They're on their way. I ran as fast as I could to check up on the King." He looks over at Richard's still form and frowns. "Is he...?"

Robin nods. "The King is dead." He looks out at the dwellings around them. "I hope Carter is alright. He won't be happy to hear about this."

Allan and John quietly look down as their fallen ally. "Go get Robin." John says.

Without a word, Allan turns and runs towards where they buried Marian. When he spots Robin, he calls out to him and motions for him to come.

Djaq rises and buries her face in Will's chest as he wraps his arms around her. Robin is motioned over by Allan and he turns to face them. "Let's go. We'll all go and try to intercept the King's men to direct him to where the King lies..." His voice catches and he turns away. The rest of his gang follow Allan. As Robin sees Carter, a fresh layer of grief washes over him. His Wife, his King and now his friend. The sheriff and Gisborne really knew how to break him. "John, bring him to where we buried Marian... it's time Carter is laid to rest."

As they start to walk back to the burial site, one of the King's men rides up to them. "Robin, we heard about your wife..." The man frowns. "We are sorry for your loss."

Robin nods but says nothing. "The King was shot by Guy of Gisborne shot the King with a poisoned arrow. We tried to save him but..." His voice breaks and he pauses for a moment. "But he didn't make it."

The man nods. "My other men have gone to collect his body while I came to speak with you. Will you be heading back to England?"

"Soon we will... First we need to lay Carter to rest. He fell trying to protect the King."

The man looks at Carter's body as he's being carried by John. "He was a good soldier. " He turns his attention back to Robin. "Safe travels, Robin and thank you." He turns his horse around and gallops away.

After Carter is finally laid to rest next to Marian, the gang returned to Djaq's friend's home where they were wedded. Although, numb with grief, Robin gave the happy couple his blessing to stay. After the gang wished them well, they quietly began the journey back to England.


	26. Any Objections?

There's only a few families left so some of the gang split off to do their own thing. With Robin still helping distribute the taxes, I take the opportunity start making my way to the forest to think when Allan sidles up beside me. "Care to play a little game with me?" I look at him as he grins, holding up three small gold cups. "I can guarantee you'll double your money."

"I'm not exactly one for tricks." I chuckle. "Besides, I know that little "game". Isaac and I used to play it at the major cities we passed through to earn some money for food."

"How about joining me for a drink then? There's an alehouse not far from here and you look like you could use a drink."

My eyes narrow as I look at him. "Since when have you ever wanted to get a drink with me?" He shrugs.  
>"I thought it'd be nice to sit down, maybe have some ale and talk to my fellow outlaw. So what do you say?"<p>

I stop walking and turn to face him, my arms crossed over my chest. I watch his expression for a moment before replying. "Alright. One drink. That's all."

"That's all I ask." He grins at me and turns around to face the town. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>We walk to the nearest alehouse and sit at one of the many tables off to the side. We order some ales from the barmaid and, as soon as she leaves, I lean forward. "Alright, I'm here. Now tell me, Allan. What's the real reason you invited me?" I ask.<p>

He looks around, unsure before digging into one of the pouches on his belt and slides it over to me. I glance at it raise an eyebrow at him. "What's this?" He motions at it with his chin

"Look at it."

I unroll it and my blood runs cold as I see my face looking back up at me. I look at him, my jaw clenched. "Where did you get this?" I whisper.

He leans forward. "I found it. I know who you are and what you're planning to do."

The barmaid returns with our ales and I thank her before waving her away. My muscles tense as my gaze bores into him. "Let me guess, this was all just a ruse to blackmail me. What do you want in exchange? Money?" I hiss.

He looks at me for a long moment before shaking his head. "I want to convince you to not go through with it. Robin is a good man."

I give a cold, humorless laugh. "So you brought me here to convince me to not kill Robin."

He shrugs. "Yeah. I'm trying to prevent you from making a mistake."

My gaze softens. "You don't understand. I have no choice." I look down at my hands. "I have to."

He shakes his head. "No you don't. Trust me. I'm not being funny but, I've gone down that path. it one of my biggest regrets." He frowns. "I've done many bad things in my life but betraying Robin is one of the worse."

My eyes prickle as tears start to form. "You don't understand….My husband…."My voice cracks and I look down.

Allan takes a drink of his ale before looking at me. "Did Robin ever tell you about Roy?"

I shake my head. "No." I say quietly. "Who's Roy?"

He looks at his tankard and slowly traces the rim with his finger. "Roy used to be part of our gang. His mother was captured by the sheriff. He threatened to kill her unless Roy killed Robin."

A shiver runs down my spine as he continues. "He attempted to kill Robin in his sleep until we pulled him off. He told us about the sheriff's deal." He looks up at me. He watches my expression. "Robin could have left him to deal with the sheriff and let his mother be hanged…. But he didn't. We all wanted to punish Roy but Robin rallied us together to help Roy get his mother back safely."

I glance up at him. "Why? The guy almost killed him."

"He's a good man. A fair one too." Allan replies with a shrug. "We were able to save his mother from hanging but then he was held back by the Sheriff with a knife at his throat. If we left, he'd die."

"And?" I urge. "What happened?"

He glances down at his tankard as if he could see the scene happening in on the surface of his drink. "Roy sacrificed himself so that we could save his mother."

A moment of silence passes between us before he speaks again. "I once betrayed Robin too."

My head snaps in his direction. "What do you mean?" I say this a bit louder than I anticipated and he glances around before leaning forward. "I was arrested trying to cheat people out of their money in a tavern…"

"Let me guess…. With the little "game" you offered for me to play?"

He gives me a tiny smirk. "Maybe." He gives an impatient wave with his hand. "That doesn't matter. I was arrested and Gisborne had me tortured. I told him that I wouldn't help him kill anybody. Not even Robin."

"Then what did he want from you?" I ask.

"Information. He offered to pay me with gold and power for information on Robin's plans." He closes his eyes as though the memory pains him. "I took the deal. I made money for betraying Robin's trust and when he found out, I was kicked out of the gang." He hangs his head. "After that, I joined forces with the Sheriff and Gisborne."

My brows draw together. "How are you back in the gang?"

"Robin forgave me. They were being held up in a barn and I betrayed the sheriff in order to save them." He shakes his head impatiently. "The point I'm getting at here is don't do it." He looks me in the eyes. "I'm not being funny but, what you're planning to do is a horrible idea."

The guilt that has been building for weeks feels like a weight on my chest, making it hard to breathe.

I stand so quickly that I almost knock over my bench in the process. He looks up at me, startled. "I gotta go." I mutter as I start to leave. He turns to look at me as I walk away.

"Just think things through before you act."

I barely hear him as I quickly make my way outside. Out in the open, I feel myself gasping for air. My thoughts are racing so fast that I can't make a coherent thought. I look off into the distance at the trees. I need to get away. I need to get away from Allan and Robin and just be alone to think. Guy has most likely told the Sheriff that Robin told me cared about me and is most likely waiting for me to make my move. Before I'm aware of what I'm doing, I bolt off towards the trees. I break through the tree line and just keep running.

After a while, I slow to a stop. Feeling lightheaded, I lean against a nearby tree and just take deep breaths. _What am I doing?_ I think to myself. I look around me. I have no idea where I am and at this point, I could care less.

Rain starts to fall as I walk past tree after tree until I find some large rocks overlooking the water. I remove my belt and scabbard, dropping them next to me as I sit. I pull my knees to my chest and rest my chin on top of them as I look out at the water. I watch as it ripples with each fallen raindrop. Time is running out. A decision needs to made and until I figure out my next move, I'm not leaving this spot.

* * *

><p>Will rides over to Robin as he hands off the last of the money and quickly dismounts. "Robin." He says as he approaches. Robin sees his friend's smile and smiles in return. "Hey Will…What are you so cheerful about?"<p>

"Remember that hidden camp I built before we left for the Holy Land?"

Robin nods. "Yeah, why?"

Will grins. "I've been working a smaller version between here and Worksop."

Placing a hand on Will's shoulder, he smiles. "Now that we're finished here, I'd like to see it. Show me."

* * *

><p>Robin unhitches the horse from the cart and mounts it before following Will to the camp. The ride takes about a half hour and they dismount near a clearing and tie the horses to some nearby branches. Will leads Robin through the trees to a small hill. He glances around and pulls a small lever nearby causing the earth covered flap to rise. He grins at Robin who chuckles and waves him in. They enter the area and find a cozy little area. Robin nods in approval as he looks around. "Nicely done, Will. This is just like the one we used to have near Locksley."<p>

"It is." Will says motioning off to the side. "I know how much Isaac loves to cook so I built him a small kitchen like Much had in the other one." He points to the other side. "Over there, there are some little cots. There's also a Privy..." He looks at Robin. "Since we have a woman in the gang again, I thought it'd be a nice addition. Also, before I forget…." Robin waits as Will walks over to one of the cots and brings over a recurved bow. "You told me you had lost your bow in Nottingham so traded with a man for one of his old bows and fixed it as best I could."

Robin takes the bow and looks it over and claps his friend on the shoulder. "Thank you, Will." He smiles. He drops his hand and slings his bow across his back and follows Will out and waits while he conceals the entrance. "As always, you've outdone yourself. I'm sure the gang will love it. You can stay here and maybe hunt for some meat tonight. I'll head back and round up the lads and. Isaac can start cooking whatever you bring back when he gets here." Will nods and they walk their separate ways.

* * *

><p>Riding back to Mansfield, Robin walks into the alehouse to find Allan playing his cup game with some other men. John and Isaac watch from nearby, tankards in hand. Chuckling to himself, he leans next to a post and watches with an amused grin as Allan moves the little gold cups around then looks up at the man. "Guess which cup it's under."<p>

The man looks at the cups before pointing to the middle one. "This one."

Allan lifts the cup and frowns as he finds nothing underneath. "Nice try." He says with a smirk. "Care to play again?"

The man narrows his eyes at him. "I bet there is no ball. I bet you're cheating!"

Allan's grin falls. "You calling me a liar?"

The man stands up and leers at him. "I'm calling you a liar and a cheat."

Before Allan can make any hasty decisions, Robin steps forward, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Allan, let's go." He motions for the other two to follow.

Allan starts to grab his cups when the man stabs the table near his hand. "Not until you admit that you cheated." He growls.

"You want the truth?" Allan retorts. The man nods and Allan lifts one of the cups to reveal a little ball underneath. "Truth is, you're just not quick enough."

Everybody starts to laugh as the man looks down in disbelief. Robin tells him it's time to go and he picks up his winnings and cups then gives the man a mock bow. "Thanks for playing." He smirks and follows his leader out of the alehouse. Once out in the open, Allan chuckles. "What an idiot."

"Doesn't help that you really did cheat." Isaac grins.

He's about to deny this accusation when Robin speaks up. "Where's Eva? Will made us a new camp and wanted to show it to us." He looks over at Isaac who shrugs.

"I haven't seen her since she walked off with Allan." He replies. Robin looks at Allan.

"We had a drink at the alehouse then she said she was going for a walk in the woods." Robin frowns at this. He glances off at the forest. "Isaac, go look for her. She shouldn't be too far."

* * *

><p>I sat on my perch for a long time replaying the past few years in my head. Allan's words still echo in my ears as I stare at the picture of myself on the poster Allan gave me. The rain that was pouring down before had begun to lighten while the wind only grew stronger. My teeth chattered but I stayed put until I finally made my decision. It wasn't going to be pleasant but it's what has to be done. I slowly stand, my legs shaky – both from the cold and from what I was about to do.<p>

I find my way back near Mansfield and spot Isaac as I emerge from the forest. Seeing me, he stops walking and motions me over. "Come on!"

I jog up to him and walk by his side, back the way he came. Seeing his relieved expression when I walked out from behind the trees, I watch his expression. "Is everything okay? Was the money distributed?"

He nods. "Will has made us a camp and Robin sent me to come find you so we can see it." He pauses for a moment and looks at me. "Where did you go? Last I knew, you were with Allan?"

I let out a sigh. "I was but…I needed time to think." Thinking about my choice, I feel tears start to form as my eyes meet his. "I need to end this mission. I can't keep up this lie anymore." Our steps stop as he turns to look at me. He's about to say something but is cut off when Robin spots us and calls us over. He smiles as he sees me and I quickly look away at Isaac. "I thought long and hard about everything. I know what I have to do." I turn away from him and jog towards the others before he can say anything.

* * *

><p>Robin walks his horse ahead of us. Behind him Allan is on one side of John while I'm on the other with Isaac walking beside me. Isaac watches me as if waiting for me to pull out my dagger and kill Robin here and now. I keep my head down and remain silent the entire walk.<p>

We reach the little clearing when the sun is starting to set and Robin motions for us to continue forward as he hitches his horse to a nearby branch. We walk forward and look on in awe as the earth covered flap opens to reveal Will kneeling down and tying something off to the side. Inside the little hovel, a warm light from some torches illuminates the cozy looking inside. One after one, we duck under the flap and walk inside. "Wow." I hear Isaac breathe from beside me as he looks around. Will stands and grins at us. "Did you make this whole thing?" Isaac asks him.

Will nods and glances around at his creation. "Before we left to save the King in the Holy land, we had one similar to this. It was a little bigger than this one and was better designed but I figured that this one would do nicely since while we're here."

"It will." Robin says, walking in next to me. "We won't be here for long but it will definitely make it more comfortable. Tomorrow morning we'll start heading back to Locksley."

Will nods before turning around and points out features here and there and for a split moment I feel like I'm at home. Like I'm not just imposter but actually part of the gang. I allow myself to grin until I'm brought back in the moment when I sense Will looking at me from across the camp as he pulls aside a tattered cloth off to the side. "Since we have a woman in the gang again, I figured I'd set a chamber pot over here with a privacy curtain." He grins at me. I smile back at him even though my guilt. "Thank you, Will."

While Isaac prepares and cooks the rabbits that Will caught, I make an excuse to go find some firewood so I can be alone to plan. Time was running out and I can feel the pressure weighing on me. Perhaps I should wait until we get back to Locksley. That way if and when things turn for the worst, I can quickly leave for Nottingham.

When I return with some more firewood, supper is finished and is getting passed around in small wooden bowls. Allan walks over to me and hands me a bowl of stew after I set the wood I was carrying off to the side. I reach out to take it from him but he holds onto it a moment longer as he looks at me. "Remember what I said." He says just loud enough for only us to hear. I glance over at Robin before looking back at Allan with a hardened gaze.

"I've made my decision. Once it's done, it'll be over and I'll be gone." He gives me a confused look as I pull my bowl from his grasp. Regardless of my stony expression, my heart is racing as I walk off to the side and sit down with my supper. I keep my eyes cast downward as I eat in silence. I go to bed early to avoid the possibility of talking with Robin. Making my decision is hard enough without recent interaction to make it harder.

* * *

><p>Early the next morning, I wake up to find Isaac cooking the rest our food. Everyone is quiet as they are slowly waking up. Normally I would find this strange but today, I'm thankful for the silence.<p>

We pack up and I offer to stay back to help Will conceal the camp. Although reluctant, Robin agrees and leads the rest of the gang. "As much as I appreciate the help, there isn't much to do to conceal it." Will says as soon as the gang is almost out of sight.

"I know." I say as I cover the entrance flap with some dirt and leaves. "My brother was getting on my nerves so I needed some time away." I lie. I hear him chuckle.

"That's how brothers are. My brother Luke used to irritate me too." He pats some dirt in place and stands back a few feet to examine it. "There." He nods. "That should be concealed well enough." We catch up to the rest of the gang. As usual, the journey back takes most of the day since we have to drop off the cart and horse and break around midday to eat something.

We reach Locksley a little before the sun begins to set and while majority of us remain in the forest to make our camp, Will and Robin head into town to tell Djaq of our return. While they are gone, I tell the others I'm going for a walk and disappear among the trees. Tonight is the night that this charade ends and I need to mentally prepare myself. Something I can't do with Isaac and Allan silently watching me.

* * *

><p>Robin greets Djaq and walks over to see Much as Will greets his wife with a kiss. "It's good to see you walking around again, Much." Robin says with a smile. "How are you feeling?"<p>

"Well enough to return to the gang." He says, happily. "I'm a bit sore still but Djaq has given me the okay to head back with you."

"That's wonderful to hear. I know the lads and Eva will be happy to see you again." Robin looks over at Djaq. "Again, thank you Djaq for looking after Much while we were in Mansfield."

"How did that go?" She asks looking between him and Will. "Did you run into any trouble?"

Will shakes his head. "Not at all. We got to Mansfield and was able to distribute all money without a single interference."

The four of them spoke for a while longer before Robin starts making his way towards the door. "Isaac should be starting the supper soon if you'd like to join us." He says before smiling at Much. "I'm sure Isaac would love to have his fellow cook around to help." Hearing this, Much's face lights up and he follows Robin out. They leave Will and Djaq to have some alone time while they return to the camp. Much walks a little lower than normal and Robin matches his speed. They enter the camp and Joh looks over at Much and grins. "Welcome back, Much!" Much immediately sits down beside Isaac and eagerly starts talking to him about the meal and Mansfield.

Isaac was at the camp cooking supper of with some help from Much while Robin watched Allan and John discussing weapon preferences before scanning his camp. He frowns. "Where's Eva?" He asks to nobody in particular.

"She went out for a walk not too long ago." John replies.

"It's been down pouring for a while now." Robin frowns. "Any idea where she went?"

Isaac stops his conversation to glance over. "She probably went to gather more firewood or something." He sees Robin's expression. "I'm sure she'll be back soon." Just as he says that, they hear a high pitched whistle. Robin's expression brightens. "I'll be right back." He leaves the camp and disappears among the trees.

Allan frowns as he watches their leader disappear into the woods. Without looking away, he tells John, "I'll be back. I have to take a piss…"

He quickly leaves after Robin before they can saying anything else all the while muttering to himself, "Don't do it, Eva."

* * *

><p>Not far from camp, I give a high-pitched whistle to summon Robin. My heart is racing and my breathing is shallow. As I wait I pace back and forth, clenching the wanted poster in my hand as I try to think of a way to do this. Once I see him and he jogs over to me. "There you are." He grins. "After you've been avoiding me since Mansfield, I thought you might have ran away."<p>

"No, I haven't run away." I mutter. I look at him and feel my stomach knot up. "Robin, we need to talk."

He sees my expression and his grin falters. "What's wrong? Are you in danger?" He glances around at the woods around us.

Clenching the poster in my hand tighter, I shake my head. "No, I'm not in danger…" A lump forms in my throat. "But you are."

His brow furrows. "What are you talking about?" He asks. I remain silent as I try to think of how to explain when he reaches out of my hand and grazes the edge of the poster. "Eva…"

I pull my hand away. "Robin… you need to know the truth."

"What do you mean?" He asks again as he spots the rolled up paper in my hand. "What is that?"

Tears threaten to fall but I try with all my might to hold them back. My hand shakes as I hand him the poster. "I'm not who you think I am."

He gives me a confused look before slowly unrolling it. I wait as I watch his eyes scan the poster. Without looking at me, he rolls the poster up once more. A deadly silence fell over us as I waited for him to say something.

At that moment, the look he gives me makes me feel like I've been stabbed in the heart. His eyes, which once were filled will happiness and love only moments ago, now showed the hurt swelling inside of him. His fists ball up at his side. "You were hired to kill me?" A single tear escapes and slides down my cheek as I nod. "By whom?" He seethes. "The sheriff?"

My eyes cast downward in shame. "No. King John."

There was a small silence before he suddenly punches a nearby tree and leans his head against it. "I'm such a fool! How did I not see it!" He glances at me for a moment before striding in my direction. "Before you found Guy and I, he told me he met you before. I thought he meant when you went to save Much…." He stopped. I can only imagine all the questions running through his head.

"Here. Let me make it easier for you." He suddenly strips off his shirt, wincing as his injured side and tosses it to the ground. He holds his hands out from his side with his palms facing me.. "Well? What are you waiting for? Go ahead. Kill me." I back up, shaking my head. "I can't."

"Why not?" He barks. "That's what you summoned me away from camp for, isn't it? To catch me without a weapon and without backup?"

I shake my head once more. "No! I called you away from camp so that I'd be able to talk to you one on one." I frown. "I got tired of all the lies. Please, let me explain."

He shakes his head. "If you're not going to kill me, I need to get back to camp. I have a gang to lead." He grabs his shirt from the ground before giving me a final disappointed glance and walking away. As he disappears from my view, I sink to my knees and allow the tears to stream down my cheeks. What have I done? I sit there in the mud for what seems like forever. I look up at the trees once more before rising onto my feet. There's only one last thing to do.

* * *

><p>Allan waits behind a tree, peeking out to watch Eva and Robin. As soon as Eva refuses to kill Robin, Allan rushes back to warn Isaac. As he enters the camp, he quickly walks over to Isaac and pulls him off to the side. "Allan, what's wrong?"<p>

Allan casts a glance at the others before leaning forward and whispering, "You need to leave. Immediately."

Isaac frowns. "How come? Did I do something?"

Allan shakes his head. "No. Eva just told Robin she's an assassin. Being that you're with her, Robin might not—"

At that moment, a shirtless Robin strides into camp looking furious.

John glances over and chuckles. "Have a good time?" He glances behind him. "Where's Eva?"

"Not now, John." Robin saying waving him off. "Gang, there are traitors among us."

Everybody looks around at each other. John and Much glare at Allan, who raises his hands up. "What? It's not me!" Robin looks straight at Isaac. "John, I'm going to need you to tie up Isaac." John gives him a confused look and he continues. "It has come to my attention that Eva and Isaac are assassins hired to kill me."

Much looks over at his friend and frowns. "Master, you must be mistaken…"

"No I'm not. I'm sorry Much."

Much looks down at the vegetables he was cutting. "I knew it was too good to be true to find another cook." He mutters. Robin nods and John hits Isaac with his staff and knocks him out. John looks down at him and shakes his head sadly. "Tie him up."

* * *

><p>Unsure of how much time I have until the rest of the gang comes after me after being told of my betrayal, I run to Locksley Manor. Using the darkness to my advantage, I steal one of Guy's horses from his stable and make my way to Nottingham. Restless, I ride through the night and get to Nottingham early the next morning. Leaving my horse at the stable, I walk up to a guard. "Where's Gisborne? I need to speak to him."<p>

The guard eyes me with disgust. Assuming I'm a beggar from my muddy appearance, he starts to tell me to leave him alone when I spot Guy in the castle courtyard. I step aside the guard and start towards the courtyard when the guard outstretches his arm to stop me. "You're not allowed in there."

I give him a steely glare. "If I were you, I'd move your arm before I break it."

"Oh really?" He mocks.

In one fluid motion, I knock him in the head with my elbow and wrench his arm behind his back. "I warned you." I growl. Another guard not far away hears his hurt cry and runs over. Yanking the first guards arm I kick the other just hard enough to make him step back a little as I release the guard's arm and run towards Guy. "Guy!"

Hearing his name, he turns just in time to see me barreling toward him with two guards chasing me. "Eva?" The guards are about to apprehend me when Guy stops them.

"What are you doing?" He scowls at them.

"This beggar woman was asking to see you. We told her 'no' so she attacked us. "

He motions to me. "She is not a beggar! She works for King John!"

They glance at me then lower their heads in shame. "Our apologies, Sir Guy."

"Get back to your duties." Guy growls. They nod and start back towards their posts as Guy turns his attention to me. He scans my dirty appearance and his brow furrows. "What happened to you?"

"Never mind that." I say waving it off. "I must speak with King John."

The corners on his mouth curl up. "Is it done? Is Hood dead?"

"That's what I have to speak to him about." I reply, crossly. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to talk to him now….privately."

"Of course." He mutters. He frowns at my appearance before leading me up the nearby stone steps into the castle. As we make our way to the throne room, my heart is beating so loud that I can hear it in my ears. The guards open the doors as we arrive but Guy tells me to wait while he walks in to address the King. A spot a few lords and ladies inside along with a few peasants off to the side. I assume that we interrupted the King as he was holding court. I watch has the King raises his hand to silence the peasant who is speaking to him as he spots Guy. "Sir Guy." John says, slightly annoyed. "Is there something I can help you with? I'm a bit busy right now."

Guy bows. "I apologize, your Majesty. Eva is here to see you."

"Eva who?" John asks, crossly.

"The woman you hired to deal with the Kingdom's pest problem."

John's eyebrows knit together for a moment in confusion until he remembers. His eyes widen with excitement as he straightens on his throne. He tells everybody with exception of Guy and his two guards standing nearby to leave then tells Guy to bring me in.

As I enter, I feel lightheaded and sick. I kneel before him. "Your majesty. I bring news of Robin Hood."

He tells me to rise and smiles at me. "What is it? Is he dead? Where is his body located so I can send my guards to retrieve it?" He looks at me expectantly. Swallowing, I take a breath. Moment of truth.

"Robin Hood is still alive."

I feel Guy staring at me as the King, whose smile is still intact and filled with annoyance says, "What?"

"Robin Hood is still alive. I was unable to kill him."

The King's smile slowly falters as he scowls at me. "We had a deal. I hired you for one purpose and one purpose only. To kill Robin Hood!"

My gaze meets his. "I know. And I couldn't do it. Robin is a good man. I refuse to kill a good man who has done nothing wrong."

The King is fuming as he leans forward. "I need you to go back to Robin and…"

My jaw clenches. "No."

"How dare you!" He hisses. "I am your King!"

"You are an imposter!" I growl. "You sit on your brother's throne and act like you're a real King when in reality, you're just a boy pretending to be a King."

John's gaze burns through me as he summons his guards. "Hold this traitor!" He gives a dismissive wave of his hand and his guards grab me and wrench my arms back. He walks over to me and forces my chin up to look at him. . "It's a pity to see such beauty and talent be so wasted." I sneer at him and he continues. "Unlike you, my dear, I keep my promises. You were unable to keep up your side of the deal but I'll keep mine." He tilts his head upwards and looks down his nose at me. "Send her to the dungeon! I sentence her to hang tomorrow afternoon." He roughly pushes my face away and let the guards drag me away.

Once I am stripped of everything but my muddy and ragged clothes, I'm pushed into my cell and locked inside. Lying down on the grimy floor, stay there for what seems like hours until a guard tells me to rise as Sir Guy enters. I pull myself into a standing position and walk over to him. He looks at me with these sad and sympathetic eyes yet his expression is flat. Luckily the bars were between us, otherwise I feel like he'd try to kiss me again. "You kept him alive…" He says. I roll my eyes.

"Yes I did."

There's a small silence between us before he speaks again. "I hope you know that Robin will come after you." He leans against the bars. "And when he does, we will kill him. Once Hood is dead…."

I scoff at him. "He's not going to come for me." I hold back the tears that threaten to form as I remember the way Robin looked at me. "I told him about my betrayal. After I told him that I refuse to kill him, he pushed me away. He hates me." I look away for a moment. "At least now his hatred will keep him away from me and this castle…." I mutter, frowning. "He'll be safe."

Guy shakes his head. "I know Robin. Even if he hates you, he'll show up. It's what he does best." He smirks and before I can say anything, he turns away from me. As I watch him leave, I hold onto the bars in front of me. "Please Robin... Don't come after me." I whisper.

* * *

><p>I stare silently ahead of me at the bars containing me. <em>This is how it ends.<em> Taking a deep breath, I lean my head back against the stone walls and close my eyes. For the day and a half or however long I've been down here, I've been able to really just sit and think. I had this all coming. I was hired to do what I'm trained to do and I went back on my agreement. Sure, I'm an assassin but who does that? My thoughts are interrupted when I hear somebody hit the bars of my cell with something metal.

"Execution time, traitor!" The guard grins. I glare at him as he opens up the cell door. Just to irritate him, I take my time standing up from the little wooden cot. Finally getting irritated at my slow pace, he walks over behind me and shoves me. I turn to glare at him but he shoves me again and I lose my balance. I wince as my knees hits the stones before I'm roughly pulled to my feet. "Let's go." The guard barks. Holding the ties binding my hands behind me, he leads me down hallway after hallway before we stop at the open doorway leading outside. The sheriff and Guy are talking when I am brought over. They cease their chatter and the sheriff looks me over with disgust. He shakes his head. "Such a pity. You had so much potential." He steps closer and tilts my head up, grinning. "Smile pretty for the people." He walks away chuckling and signals for Guy to join him as he's walking outside to join King John.

"You better go." I smirk. "Your master is waiting."

He stands looking at me before turning to the guard. "Leave us for a moment." The guard gives him a confused look which earns him a glare from Guy. "Leave!" The guard looks at me then nods and walks outside. I hear King John and the sheriff announcing higher taxes and when Guy paces before me. He suddenly stops and turns to me. "Beg for forgiveness."

"What?!"

"Ask for forgiveness. Offer to kill Hood and his gang and…"

I clench my jaw. "No."

Guy looks at me like I'm mad. "Why not?"

"I refuse to lay a hand on Robin or any of his gang." I say. "They have done nothing wrong!"

"Then marry me! Marry me and I'll have the sheriff spare your life!" He exclaims. He looks at me with a hopeful expression that makes me want to punch him in the face.

"I would _never_ marry you, Guy." I say crossly. "I don't love you. Never have. Never will."

He glares at me and smacks me across the face. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Guy steps close enough so his mouth is near my ear. "I hope you burn in Hell." He hisses.

I open my eyes and smirk. "I'll save you spot."

"Move it, traitor." He growls. He pushes me out the door and, tightly grabbing one of my arms, walks me over to the gallows. As Guy joins the king and the sheriff off to the side, I stand there with everyone watching me as one of the executioners raise the hood to place it over my head but stops when King John shakes his head. The hood is put aside then the noose is put around my neck. Vaisely walks onto the platform and clears his throat. "Today is a very special occasion! Today you all get to see the execution of a traitor! This," He says pointing to me, "isn't just any traitor! She's a trained assassin!"

As soon as he says that there's an eruption of gasps as mothers guard their children and the fathers give me disapproving looks. "Let her hang!" One man yells getting a few agreements. The sheriff grins at me. "Looks like they don't like you very much." I shoot him a glare but remain silent.

The guards standing in front of the gallows silence the crowd so the sheriff could speak once again. "I take it there aren't any objections? Good!" He asks happily before signaling to the guard near the executioner. "Proceed!"

He takes a seat next to the King grinning like an idiot while Guy stood nearby, looking horribly bored as he always does. The guard reads off my charges of treachery and murder but I hardly hear a word he says. I put my head down and close my eyes. "I'm sorry I let you down Will. I love you and miss you every day and I'm sorry I failed in avenging you." I whisper, on the verge of crying. "And I love you Robin Hood…." I smile. "I'm so glad I got to meet you and your gang and I'm so sorry for deceiving you."

"And how do you plead?"

Brought out of my thoughts, I look up at the guard. "Huh?"

"How do you plead to your charges?"

I look out at the townspeople staring up at me as they shout obscenities and spit at me. I take a deep breath of fresh air. "Guilty."

"And do you have any last words?"

"Yes…." Grinning I look ahead of me. "Vive les ombres!" I shout and then turning to look over at the king, sheriff and Guy. "And also….Long Live Robin Hood!" I smirk, earning gasps from the crowd and glares from the three men. King John waves his hand towards the guard and He nods. "Eva Hastings, you are sentenced to hang by the neck until you are dead. May God have mercy on your soul."

I take one last deep breath since I know what is next and close my eyes. I don't want the horrified crowd to be the last thing I see. I picture Will, Robin, Isaac, and my Shadow family and put a smile on my face. "Ready." I hear the lever moving and wait for what comes next.


	27. Only Part Of The Story

Robin paces back and forth anxiously as Will and John tie Isaac up to one of the trees surrounding their camp. Allan stands off to the side watching him. "Maybe it's misunderstanding." He offers, earning him a glare from Much. "What?"

"You seem quite at ease with this situation." Much says. "Are you part of their scheme?"

Robin stops for a moment to look at him. Allan's mouth gaps open as he feels the gang's eyes watching him.

"Just because I said it might be a misunderstanding?" He looks around at the others helplessly. "Come on lads…. I was just suggesting that maybe there's more to story than we know."

"I knew something was off about her." Much says. "I said it would be a bad idea to let her join. Do you remember—"

"Much, hush." Robin says. He looks over at Isaac, whose head is slumped forward. "Will, wake him up. We need to talk."

Will takes his flask and pours its contents over Isaac's head. In seconds, Isaac jolts awake and quickly looks around. He struggles against his bonds and looks down. "What the—" He starts to say before quickly looking around. "Where's Eva?"

"Gone. She fled." Robin says as he steps toward him. "Most likely back to Nottingham to report back to King John."

Isaac's eyes widen. "Oh no…." He breathes before struggling with his bonds. "You have to let me go. I have to save her."

"Save her from what?" Robin asks, warily. Isaac stills for a moment to look Robin in the eye.

"I have to get to her immediately before King John has her executed."

Robin's jaw clenches. "You're lying."

Isaac gives an impatient sigh. "It was part of the deal. We kill you, otherwise we die." He looks at Robin. "For a while, she's been feeling guilty about lying to you. She told me that she didn't want to go through with it." He pauses as Robin looks at him with interest.

"And?" He urges.

Isaac frowns. "She knew that by not going through with our mission, she'd be killed. She sacrificed herself because she couldn't deal with killing somebody she cared about." He looks down at the ground. "That's probably why she went alone…. To ensure that I wouldn't be killed."

Robin leans back, drawing his mouth into a straight line as silence falls over the gang. For a while, nobody speaks. They all look around at one another as though waiting for one of them to say something until Robin glances at Will. "Cut him loose."

"You're letting him go?" Much exclaims. He looks at his master in disbelief but Robin avoids his gaze. Isaac is released from his binds and rubs his arms where the robes pressed into him where he leaned against them while unconscious.

"Thank you." He says, looking down. "And I'm sorry we lied. After I save Eva, we'll—"

As Isaac speaks, Robin walks off to the side and picks up his bow and slings it over his back along with his quiver. "You mean when _we_ save her." He picks up Isaac's scabbard and sword from the ground and holds it out to him. "We haven't much time. Knowing John, he won't wait very long."

Isaac cautiously takes the scabbard from him before giving a slight nod.

"Robin." John steps forward, staff in hand. "This could be another trick. For all we know, Eva could have went back to Nottingham to ready an ambush that Isaac can be sending us into." He glances at Isaac then back. "You can get killed just as they originally planned."

"I'm being funny, but" Allan inputs. "They've been in our gang for, what? Almost a Year? And yet they've had many opportunities to kill you yet never took it." He steps forward. "Especially Eva. You two have gone off alone many times yet she never once made an attempt on your life."

Robin says nothing as he throws on his cloak. He looks are his gang. "Well, this is it. Betrayal or not, I need to hear the truth from Eva. If this is indeed a trick, I'll probably die. Any of you may come or go. I leave that decision up to you."

Allan looks around at the others before raising his hand. "Trick or not, I'm in."

"Me too." Will nods. Robin looks at John who rolls his eyes.

"I guess I'll go as well." He cracks a smile. "After all, it's a good day to die. "

Robin grins. "Thank you, all of you." He looks at Much. "Much—"

"No. I'm sorry Robin but I refuse to go after her." He says, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly. He winces. "She betrayed us."

"But she saved your life!" Allan points out. "If it wasn't for her, you'd probably be dead!"

Much turns and glares at him. "She probably was the one behind the whole thing!"

"Not entirely." Isaac says. "She had a plan that involved you being captured but she never wanted any harm to come to you. She was furious when she found out that you had been hurt."

"She still planned my capture." Much mutters.

"Enough!" Robin says. "Much, I was just going to tell you to stay here in case we come back. Even if you wanted to go, you're not strong enough for the journey let alone fighting."

"but master—"

"My decision is final." Robin motions for the others to follow him. "If we're lucky, we'll see you when we get back."

**The Gallows- The next day.**

I give a long exhale as I await the platform I'm standing on to give way beneath me and end my life. The platform does indeed give way but instead of hanging, I fall through the hole beneath the gallows. It takes a moment for me to catch my breath as the wind was knocked out of me. I hear the Sheriff yelling orders and villagers in a state of panic. I'm helped up and come face to face with my friend. "Will!" I exclaim. "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to rescue you." He cuts my binds and says something before motioning for me to follow him but I barely hear him as I'm filled with a sense of joy mixed with a dread as I realize what Will's presence means; Robin has come to save me.

As I follow Will, I touch his arm. "Will, where's Robin?"

"In the tower."

As we exit from beneath the gallows, I look up at a nearby tower. Arrows shoot out from the arrow loop and take down guards left and right. Will offers me his axe but I decline and take a sword off a fallen guard near me. Spotting Isaac off to the side battling it out with a guard with another one running towards him, I motion to him. "Will, go help Isaac. They confiscated my weapons including my husband's sword. Help Isaac while I go retrieve it. I refuse to leave it behind." He's about to argue but I quickly sprint towards the keep, slicing at guards on my way.

After shooting an arrow and slicing her rope, a fight breaks out as Vaisley screams orders to his guards to find me and attack my gang that hides amongst the now frightened crowd that scurries in all directions. Knowing Will is helping Eva, I fire arrows one after another, taking down enemy after enemy. I nock an arrow and get ready to shoot down another guard when I see Eva run in the direction of the keep. My brow furrows and I lower my bow. "What the—" I watch as she disappears into the keep. I curse under my breath and quickly leave my place in the tower. I don't know what she's doing or where she's going but either way, I need her alive if I want my answers.

I run up the stairs of the keep and enter through the large wooden doors. King John and the sheriff fled inside as soon as they sensed danger. Once in one of the long hallways, I duck behind a wall as two guards rush past me to join the fight in the courtyard. Once clear I make my way towards the guard quarters in hopes of finding my confiscated belongings. I reach the quarters and find it empty since most of the guards are preoccupied. I'm searching a trunk near the door when a guard spots me from the hallway. "Hey!" He bellows, unsheathing his sword as he barrels toward me. I straighten and quickly grab the sword I picked up outside just in time to block as the guard's first strike came down at me. The crossed blades came within a short distance from my face before I give him a kick to gain some distance. He backs up and I spot a guard shield from the corner of my eye. While he regains his balance, I launch myself at it and swing at him, catching him near the jaw. He falls down and scrambles to get back to his feet but I press my foot to his chest and point the tip of my blade at the base of his throat. His eyes widen as he looks up at me and I notice that he was one of the guards that mistreated me while I was in the dungeon. "Remember me?" I sneer. "Tell me; Where are the belongings that were confiscated from me?"

"T-the Sheriff." He stutters and I slam my foot down on him.

"What about him? Spit it out before I slit your throat!"

"T-the Sheriff took it. All of it. He had one of us bring everything to his study."

As soon as I have the information I need, I'm about to slit his throat, regardless of his pleas, but change my mind and use the shield to knock him out. I take his ring of keys from his belt and pick up my shield and sword before making my way to the door. Taking a moment to check for guards, I run over to the stairs and ascend. I cautiously make my way down the hallway leading to the Sheriff's study. After checking for guards, I press my ear against the door to listen for any sounds within. Using the keys, I acquired from the guard, I cautiously open the door to find, to my surprise, the room to be empty. For safety purposes, I slip inside and lock the door behind me before glancing around the room for possible places to search.

I exit the tower and fight off any guards I encounter along the way. With any luck, she'll be going to find the sheriff or King to get revenge for being strung up for execution. I come to a forked hallway and pause as I think of where she could have possibly gone. John and Vaisley are probably fuming in the King's chambers while Guy is most likely stalking around the castle somewhere looking for me or Eva. Picking the hallway that leads past the Great Hall, I start to make my way towards Vaisley's chambers. Hopefully, I can get to Eva before anybody else does.

I tear apart the sheriff's study looking for any of my belongings only to find Robin's bow he left behind during our last escape. I pause as memories of that night resurface and I feel the tears threaten to form. Even if he is here to save me, we'll never be as close as we once were.

I shake my head to clear my thoughts and resume my search. Becoming more disappointed with every chest and drawer turning up with none of my belongings, I spot a medium sized chest off to the side that I didn't notice before. I close the lid of the chest I had just been searching and kneel before it. My excitement is short-lived as I see the padlock. I let out an exasperated sigh before looking around me for something to use to pick the lock with. Precious seconds pass before I grab the sword and bash the lock a few times with the pommel until it gives way. I toss it aside and quickly open the lid. I smile down as I find my things including my clothing that was stripped away when I was given my current prisoner rags. I waste no time in changing my clothes and reclaiming my items. As I slide William's sword into my scabbard hanging off my belt, I hear a key in the lock. I kick the chest shut and sling Robin's bow over my back before readying my sword. Regardless of who comes through that door, I'm prepared to fight my way out.

The door opens and none other than Guy enters. I feel my blood boil at the very sight of him. He doesn't notice me at first but when he looks up, his gaze darkens and he unsheathes his sword. "Eva. Somehow I knew I'd find you again before you escaped." He takes a step forward with a smirk. "As you can see, I was right. Robin came to save you even though you betrayed him."

"I had no choice and you know that." I growl. "You dangled my freedom in front of me until I took another's life." I meet his gaze. "But that doesn't matter now."

"No it doesn't." He agrees. "Even if you manage to get away, which you won't, we now have Robin here and can kill him ourselves." He grins. "Thanks to you."

I scowl at him. "Not if I can help it." I go to strike him but he blocks it and kicks me back. Caught off guard, I fall backwards and drop my sword. I watch as Guy raises his sword to strike me but let's out a pained cry as his arm is pinned to the wall with an arrow.

"You really make a habit out of trying to kill the people I care about, don't you Guy?" Robin says as he strides into the room.

"Hood!" Guy bellows.

Robin quickly walks over to me and holds his hand out to help me up. "Are you alright?"

I nod as he helps me to my feet. "For now I am. Thank you." I back up a little and sit on the ledge of the window, glancing out below.

He looks back at Guy who is struggling to free himself while yelling for the guards before turning his attention back to me. "We need to talk."

I glance over his shoulder where a guard is getting ready to shoot him. "Yes we do but now isn't the time. The guard draws back and I quickly grab Robin and turn so he's near the window as an arrow hits me in my right shoulder. I let out a pained cry of my own before looking at Robin. "Go out the window." I say through clenched teeth.

"What?" He asks. "But your—"

"No time. Just trust me. Go!" I say. With all my might, I push him out the window before being brought down to my knee by the pain radiating from my wound. Once I hear a loud splash from below, I smile to myself and get back to my feet before sheathing my sword. As I turn, the archer has another arrow trained on me while Guy has his sword pointed at me as well, his sleeve shredded. "You've just make a huge mistake." He hisses.

Despite my pain, I smirk. "It's over Guy. You lost." I look towards the doorway. "John, you and Allan can take it from here." Guy's eyes widen as him and the two guards look behind them giving me the chance to break off part of the arrow on the wall. The pain intensifies but I quickly climb onto the window ledge as Guy realizes that he's been tricked. He turns toward me just as I jump off the ledge into the water below. While I'm underwater, I hear some yelling but can't make out any of it. I resurface and find Robin swimming nearby. "Let's go before they start shoot at us." I yell as an arrow whizzes past.

We swim as fast as we can to the other side. Once we reach it, we are pulled up onto the grass by Will who rode up on a horse only moments before we were three quarters of the way across the water. From the castle we still hear yelling as we thank Will. My shoulder is radiating pain but I try to gather my thoughts.

"Will, where are the others? Are they alright?" Robin asks.

"They're fine. There were a few guards left that were called back into the castle. Isaac told me to get a horse and find you while he stole a cart and told me tell you they were going to head back to the camp." He says. "After you disappeared from the tower, we got worried."

Robin nods. "Good. I'm glad they got away safely. We'll start back towards the camp to meet up with the rest of the gang. I need you to ride ahead to Locksley Village and have Djaq prepare for us. Eva was hit by an arrow in her shoulder." He motions to me and Will frowns.

"Are you alright?"

I wince. "I'll live."

More yelling catches our attention and Will quickly mounts his horse and rides off while Robin and I start running towards the woods. Once shielded by the trees, I start to slow down as I grow tired from both the pain and blood loss from my wound. Noticing my change of pace, Robin stops. "Do you need to rest?"

I shake my head as I trudge forward. "I'm fine. It'll be a while to get back to camp since we're on foot. We need to get as much distance between us and the guards as we can."

"Eva…" He grabs my hand, making me stop. "You're wounded and have lost a good amount of blood. Let's stop for a moment. You're pale and I can only imagine the pain you're in right now."

My pull my hand away and nod. "I guess you're right. We'll take a short break then we have to start traveling again." Wincing, I remove the bow from my back and hold it out to him. "Here. I found this is Vaisely's study from when you left it behind during our last escape."

Taking it, he looks at it. "I left this behind the night we spent the night in the barn when I told you I loved you." He looks up at me. "I know you're in a lot of pain right now but I just have to know…. Did you ever really love me or was it just part of King John's plan?"

Taking care not to lay on or near my wound, I lean against a tree for stability. "Honestly? A bit of both. In the beginning it was just part of the plan. I was supposed to make you fall deeply in love with me so that when you trusted me the most…" My voice trails off as I remember William's death.

"You'd kill me." Robin finishes with a frown.

I nod. "Yes. However, over the time we've spent together, fighting alongside each other and talking near the waterfall, I''ve genuinely grown to love and care about you. When I said I loved you in the barn that night, I meant it. Why else would I have taken an arrow to my shoulder to protect you?"

"It was a foolish gesture but nonetheless, I thank you for it. I just now feel bad that now you're in pain because of it." He frowns.

I give him a small smile. "It was worth it to ensure you got out alive. It's my way of thanking you for all that you've done for Isaac and I …. and for coming to save me." I pause and look down at the ground. "Even though I honestly didn't deserve to be saved after my betrayal."

"After you left me and I returned to the camp, Allan said there might be more to the story than what we knew. Is this true?"

I nod. "There is. However," I wince as I straighten. "We've rested enough for now. When we are safe, I will tell you my story. The complete and honest version."

He looks at me as though he's anxious for answers but nods and we continue our way to camp.


	28. Sanctuary

A twig snaps in the distance and Much's head snaps in the direction of the sound. Another twig snap and he unsheathes his sword and looks around, ready for a fight until he recognizes his fellow gang members. John rests his staff against a tree and takes a seat near the fire while the Isaac and Allan do the same. Much looks behind them and frowns. "Where's Robin? Is he—"

"Relax Much. He's fine. Him and Eva are on their way back." Allan replies. "Isaac here got the brilliant idea to steal a cart before we escaped. That's the only reason we got back as quickly as we did. Also, I think he ran over a couple guards while he was at it." He chuckles and Much gapes at Isaac who shrugs his shoulders with a grin.

"It was either me or them. I chose me." He says, cutting a piece of meat from where it was cooking on the fire. "Besides, I told them to get out of the way but they didn't listen."

"Yet you still managed to leave Robin alone with the same woman who was going to kill him." Much fumes. "I bet she'll try to kill him on the way and make up some story about an ambush or something." He mutters as he rotates the meat.

"I doubt that." Allan frowns. "Will told us she was injured before he rode off to Locksley to tell Djaq."

"She probably was hurt when the King found out she failed." Much sneers.

"Much." Isaac growls, staring him down. "Eva isn't the only one who was part of the betrayal. So was I. Eva isn't as bad as you make her sound. If you knew the whole story…"

"Even if I knew why she agreed to kill my master, it doesn't make her intentions less wrong." Annoyed, Much grabs his walking stick nearby and hobbles away in a huff, muttering something about a walk.

* * *

><p>"Maybe we should take another break." Robin suggests as we trudge through the forest for what seems like forever. "I can tell that you're getting tired."<p>

I shake my head. "No." I say stubbornly. "We should be back at the camp in about an hour. Once there, we'll rest, eat and make a plan."

"We're far from the castle and have been walking for a while now." He insists. "We can afford to take a break."

I look over at him. "If you're tired, we can stop. If not, I say we keep going."

He lets out a wary sigh. "Eva, I'm not the one who was shot with an arrow. Even though I would have been had you not stepped in front of me."

I shrug. "After all I've done, it was the least I could do." I meet his gaze and give him a weak smile. "Besides, you can't exactly lead your band of outlaws if you're dead, can you?"

"No I can't." He mutters.

With every step I take, I can feel myself growing weaker until I stop and lean against a tree. Robin continues to walk until he notices I am no longer by his side. He stops and looks back at me, frowning. "Let's take a break." He says as he jogs over to me.

Despite walking at relatively slow speed, it takes me a moment to catch my breath before I can reply. "I'm fine. A bit winded." I straighten and wince. "We should be almost there."

Robin let's out a frustrated sigh. "Eva. Stop."

I pause and look at him. "Why? We're almost there. We—"

"No." He takes a step forward. "You grow weaker by the second." He pauses and looks off into the distance.

"What?" I say following his gaze. "What is it?" My already fast heartbeat quickens as I fear for the worst. "Is somebody coming?"

He looks back at me. "Stay here and sit down. I'll walk ahead and get some supplies from camp and come back."

"Robin, I can make it." I say. "We're like 15 minutes away."

"No. I'll bring supplies and we can bandage you enough to get back to camp and at least cauterize your wound."

I slowly sit down and shake my head. "We can't cauterize it."

He frowns. "Why not?"

"The arrowhead is still in my shoulder. Isaac will need to remove it first." My foot slips and I hit my shoulder against the tree behind me. I close my eyes and let out a pained cry as the pain amplifies. When I reopen my eyes, I see Robin looking at me concerned. He doesn't touch me for fear of making things worse. "Are you alright?"

Through my pain, I nod. "Go on ahead. I'll stay here."

He nods and quickly bolts through the forest.

* * *

><p>I run as fast as I can until I see the faint glow of a campfire and slow to a jog. I approach with caution at first until I see John and Isaac. "Robin!" John smiles as he spots me. "I'm glad you're all right."<p>

I nod. "Same with you."

Isaac glances behind me and frowns. "Where's Eva?"

I hold up my hand up in peace. "Don't worry Isaac. Eva is alive."

I notice he puts his hand on the pommel of his sword. "Why isn't she with you?"

"While at the castle, she was shot in the shoulder and lost a lot of blood and was starting to grow pale. I ran ahead to gather something to bandage her wound until she can get back to camp."

He nods. "I'll come with you."

"Me too." Allan adds as Isaac grabs his flask and some bandages.

Robin shakes his head. "Allan, I need you to stay here with John in case Will and Djaq come back."

Allan begins to argue but Robin and Isaac turn and disappear back into the forest.

* * *

><p>"So what happened?" Isaac asks as him and Robin quickly make their way back to Eva. "Will told us Eva was wounded but he didn't go into detail." He frowns. "Are her wounds serious?"<p>

In the fading light, Isaac sees Robin's face is pale with concern. Robin shrugs. "I don't know. I found her in Vaisley's study with Gisborne. I showed up just as he was about to bring his sword down on her. I shot an arrow at his arm pinning it to the wall. He called for the guards and when they showed up, the Guard was about to shoot me in the heart but Eva steps in front and took the arrow in her shoulder." He clenches his jaw. "She pushed me out the window to the water below and after I resurfaced, I heard a splash and feared the worst." He pauses as though he's reliving the moment in his head. "I was relieved when I saw her come back up. We swam to the opposite side and climbed up near the road where we saw Will."

"So she was shot and fell from the window?" Isaac asks in disbelief. He shakes his head. "She must really love you."

Robin turns to look at him. "What do you mean?"

Isaac shrugs. "For at least a month now, she expressed that she didn't want to go through with our mission. After our time with the gang, she knew that you were…are, "he corrects himself, "a good man. Also, I see the way you two look at each other. Whatever you two have isn't something you can easily fake."

As I lean my head back against the cool tree trunk, I feel my eyes start to get heavy. With the setting sun, a breeze blows through the trees and I shiver. After some time, my eyes are about shut until they snap open at the sound of snapping twigs and voices. With my left hand, I reach down and pull out my dagger from my boot. Injured or not, if Guy or any guard was coming to finish me off, I was gonna go out fighting.

Within moments, I spot Robin and Isaac and give a sigh of relief as I slip my dagger back into my boot. Isaac quickly runs over and kneels by my side. "Eva!" He says as he looks me over. He gives me a small grin. "You look like shit."

I chuckle. "Thanks. Good to see you too." I smile at him. "I'm glad you and the rest of the gang got away safely."

His grin falters and I see the worry in his eyes. "We did. Robin told me what happened. I have some spirits I took from the castle and bandages. Djaq should hopefully be back at camp soon and can take a better look at your wound."

I nod. "The arrowhead is still in my wound. We can't cauterize it until it's removed." I meet his worried gaze. "You're only person I know of besides Djaq who has some medical knowledge. I need you to remove it."

Isaac blanches but nods. I lean forward so he can see the wound in the remaining light. He hands the bandages to Robin and I hear him let out a shaky breath before leaning closer.

Closing my eyes, I ball my fists as I prepare for the pain. "Go ahead Isaac." I say through clenched teeth. "You can do it."

I feel him barely touch my wound and an explosion of pain ripples through my body. I make a muffled sound and feel somebody grab my hand for support. I look sideways at Robin who gives me a small smile. "I'm right here."

I nod in return before looking down at the ground before me. "What?" I hear Robin ask.

"I can't." Isaac says, leaning back on his heels. "It's too far in and there's not much light to work with. I'm sorry Eva."

I close my eyes and let out a defeated sigh and receive a comforting squeeze from Robin.

"It's alright, Isaac. Just clean the wound and bandage me up so I can at least get back to camp."

He opens his flask and readies it over my wound. "Are you ready?"

Squeezing Robin's hand, I take a deep breath and nod. He pours some of the spirits onto my wound and squeeze my fist and wait until the wave of pain recedes. Isaac waits until I let out a few breaths before getting the bandages from Robin. Once I am bandaged, both men help me to a standing position, being careful to not touch my wound or move my ar. "Are you alright?" Isaac asks.

I nod. "Yes. Thank you, Isaac. Now let's head back."

* * *

><p>We walk in silence and I feel Robin watching me. I can only imagine how he must feel about all this. He loved me and I betrayed him. Then I take an arrow for him and here he is trying to make sure I'm okay. We enter the camp and we see that Will and Djaq are waiting by the fire talking with the others. As we appear, everybody stops what they're doing to look over. Much, who was sulking as he tended the fire only moments ago, springs up at the sight of his master. "Robin! I'm so glad you're—" He stops mid-sentenced as he sees me. "Oh, it's you." He sneers. "Come to finish us off?"<p>

"Much!" John hisses from the side.

Looking down at the ground I nod. "I guess I deserve that."

I feel Robin carefully place a hand on my lower back. "No, you don't." He says before looking at Much. "Much, apologize."

I shake my head. "Robin, that really isn't necessary…"

"No, it is." He says. He gives Much a stern look. "While at the castle, a guard was about to kill me with an arrow to the heart. Instead, Eva stepped in front of me and got hit in the shoulder. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be standing here."

"It was her fault you were in Nottingham to begin with." Much shoots back. "If you had never gone to rescue her…"

"Enough!" I shout. Everybody looks at me with surprise. I take a moment to gather my thoughts. "Arguing will achieve nothing." I look at Robin. "Have you heard of the Black Knights?"

As soon as I said it, Robin's expression changes. "I have. Why?"

"While I was imprisoned Gisborne visited me a few times. He said at one point that after I was dead, King John was going to send out the Black Knights to finish what I couldn't." I frown.

Robin purses his lips as he looks around at the gang. "Why am I not surprised? John is too much of a coward. He sent somebody to kill the King and now he sends his people to kill me because he can't do it himself." He turns around and punches a nearby tree in frustration before resting his head against the trunk. "It never ends."

Seeing his distress kills me. I turn to Isaac. "We heard you escaped with a cart. What happened to it?"

He gives me a confused look. "We left it a bit a ways from camp. Why?"

"You know as well as I that the forest isn't safe." I begin. It takes a moment before he realizes what I'm getting at and his eyes widen.

"You're joking." He looks at me as though I've gone mad. "What about the others?"

I frown. "Isaac, we have to. It's perfect place to heal and await news."

He looks over at the confused gang. "It's been almost a year…." He glances back at me.

"I know but—"

"What are you two talking about?" Robin finally asks.

I turn to face him. "As you now know, Isaac and I are assassins…" From the corner of my eyes, I see Djaq's eyes widen as she asks Will about it. "Our home is a hidden haven called the Sanctuary. With the Black Knights now hunting us all down, it's the safest place to heal up and await news." I turn to look at Djaq. "Djaq, I think you should come with us as well. You're very talented at what you do and being Will's wife, you are at risk as well."

"You're asking us to go with you to where the assassins live…." Much says. He looks around at his fellow gang members. "Sounds like a trap to me."

"It's not a trap. It is the safest place I know and if you come with us, I can know for sure that you'll all safe." I look at Robin who looks conflicted. "Robin?" I step toward him. "Once we get word of the Black Knights' whereabouts, you can leave if you want. I just don't want to have you out in the forest while their plans and location is unknown."

"Sherwood and Barnsley forest are both pretty big." Allan points out. "It would take them a while to hunt us down."

"Even so, if they spot you before you spot them, they can strike at any moment." Isaac replies.

We all look at Robin as we await his answer. Just from his expression I can tell that he's mulling over the decision when Much stands up. "Master, please tell me you aren't considering this." He frowns.

Robin looks at me. "They have a point." He faces his gang. "The sanctuary is permanent place where England's deadliest assassins reside. If we're not safe there, where else would we be?" As he says this the gang considers this before nodding. "Much, Eva and I are still healing from our previous wounds. It would be useful for us to be hidden while we make a plan." He turns to me. "When would you like to leave?"

"If possible, immediately."


	29. Embraces

**A/N: I know, it took forever for a new update but alas, here it is! I hope all of you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!**

* * *

><p>I feel Much's gaze on my back as I pack his cooking pot in the cart beneath the sacks of grain. I look over at Isaac and give a low whistle to attract his attention. He raises his head to meet my gaze and I tilt my head slightly towards Much and he nods.<p>

"So, Much…" He starts to say as he walks over to him. I glance over just as Much sneers at him and takes a step back.

"Did she send you to kill me?" He sneers.

Isaac smiles. "No. As your friend and fellow cook, I just wanted to tell you about the amazing kitchen in the Sanctuary. I think you'll like it."

He folds his arms over his chest stubbornly. "You're not my friend and I'm not going with you. I refuse to be led into your assassin den like a lamb to slaughter."

Isaac chuckles and Much gives him an irritated look. "What's so funny?" He asks, hotly.

Isaac leans against a nearby tree. "Much, since we had to rescue Eva from execution in Nottingham, neither of us are working for King John anymore. Our contract was voided the minute that Eva showed up at Nottingham castle and refused to kill Robin."

"How do we know that it wasn't just a ploy to drag Robin to Nottingham to be killed by Gisborne, the Sheriff or one of the guards? Robin has a tendency to rescue any damsel in distress." As he says this he shoots his friend an annoyed glance.

"I was not a damsel in distress." I argue, receiving a chuckle from Allan and Robin. I glare at them. "What? I'm not."

Robin gives me his typical charming smile. "So you just happened to walk up onto the gallows, place a noose around your neck and yell for the executioner to pull the lever and end your life?"

I feel the heat rise to my cheeks with frustration. "No. Knowing the consequences, I broke my contract and sacrificed myself so that you could live. A damsel in distress is an innocent woman in trouble awaiting to be saved by a man. I wasn't expecting to be saved nor was I innocent."

Robin chuckles and I feel my irritation grow. "It doesn't matter now anyways." He says trying to ease the tension. "In the end, you risked your life for me and I am grateful." He his smile falters for a moment as he eyes my shoulder. "I'm sorry that your heroic gesture caused you to be wounded."

"It's fine." I mutter as I turn away from him and walk back to retrieve more supplies before he can utter another word.

* * *

><p>By the time we are ready to start making our way to Southwell, the night had set upon us with the soft glow of the moon as our only light. Robin checks on the horses while everybody else with exception of Much and I begin crowding into the back of the cart amongst the camp supplies and sacks of grain. I turn to Much but he looks down at the ground. "Much, how about you sit up near Robin so you can keep an eye on him and make sure he's safe. I'll sit in the back with everybody else."<p>

He says nothing and I begin to wonder whether or not he was listening as Robin turns to look at us around his hood. "Eva, come sit up front with me." He says. "Much can ride in the back where he can lie down and rest."

"Robin, Much should—" I start to say but stop as her walks over to us.

"Much, will you please sit in the back? I'll be perfectly fine while Eva sits with me and tells me where to go. As she pointed out, we don't know when or if they sent anybody to look for us and she'll know how to get to the hideout."

Much scowls. "This is a very large forest and all these years we've yet to be caught."

"Except for when Roy brought back that horse that led them straight to us." Allan interjects.

Much shoots him a glare. "Aside from that—"

"Much, we've already been over this. We're all going to Southwell and that's final." Robin says. Much opens his mouth to object but closes it once again when he sees Robin's stern expression. He takes a step over to the cart and recoils as Isaac holds out his flask.

"Here Much." He says. "I made sure that it wasn't stashed under everything."

Much reluctantly takes the flask and takes out the stopper to smell it. "What did you do to it? Add poison?"

"What are you going on about now, Much?" Djaq asks. He glances at her.

"How do I know what they're capable of doing? He could have easily slipped some poison in my flask when I wasn't looking."

"Much, that's enough." Robin says.

Much looks around at the rest of the gang helplessly before finally climbing into the cart, muttering to himself. He takes a seat and takes the stopper out of his flask once more and takes another whiff before taking a long swig. He then licks his lips. "Mm. Strawberries…" It takes him a moment before his eyes widen after he realizes he's been tricked and looks at Djaq. She gives him a confused look and shakes her head. "Wasn't me."

His eyes start to droop as he goes to mutter something but is silenced as his eyes shut and his head falls back on a sack of grain as he falls asleep. Everybody eyes Isaac suspiciously until Allan exclaims, "Finally!" He shrugs as every one's eyes look at him. "What? I poured some of the drink Djaq made to help him sleep. I didn't want to hear him complain the entire time."

Robin chuckles quietly and turns his attention back to me. He motions to the cart. "Shall we?"

I adjust my cloak around me and Robin helps me up onto the little seat and climbs up next to me, taking the reins. He turns to look at the gang behind us. "Is everybody set?" They say they're ready and he turns around, smiling. "To Southwell then."

* * *

><p>We travel throughout the night, taking many of the hidden paths and avoiding roads whenever possible. As the early morning sun started to peek over the land, I glance at Robin. His face is hidden from my gaze by the hood of his cloak until he looks over. He smiles but I can see how tired he is from being up all night. "Would you like me to take the reins for a while?" I offer. "We should be close to Worksop within the hour. Isaac and I know some people there and we can eat and rest a while."<p>

He shakes his head. "I'll be fine until Worksop." He turns to glance behind him. "The rest of the gang seems to be set on rest but it would be nice to stop for a while."

I frown. "I meant that you need to rest, Robin. You've been up this entire time."

He nods. "I will but not until we get to Worksop." He glances at me and sees my frown. "Besides, you still have yet to tell me your story." He smiles. "Your real story."

I shift on the seat to look at him. "What do you want to know?"

"Where are you actually from?"

"I was born in Derby but was mostly raised in Newark where I lived with my stepfather."

"Where was your mother?"

"She died when a plague swept through the land. I was sent to a convent when she fell ill. Not that it mattered since most of the nuns at the convent had died before I got there."

"I've sorry to hear that." He frowns.

I shrug. "It was so long ago…"

He nods. "So how did you become an assassin?"

"My husband recruited me. I was living with my drunken stepfather when one night I was cleaning out the cinders in the fireplace when William showed up, hidden by shadows, and slit my father's throat."

Robin looks at me with a horrified expression. "Your husband killed my stepfather?"

I nodded. "My father was a cruel man who apparently refused to pay his debt to a brewer. The brewer hired the Shadow Hunters to deal with him and so they did." I look Robin in the eye. "I was miserable and after my father was killed, he knew I was unmarried and had no way to support myself. I would have died of starvation but instead of killing or leaving me there, he told me to pack my things and come with him." I look away. "He gave me a home, family and…"My voice catches as I feel my eyes prickle with tears. "He loved me when nobody else did." I take a deep breath as I wait to be mocked for my moment of weakness but hear nothing. I quickly wipe my eyes and continue. "He convince our leader, Delvin, to allow me to join and trained me himself."

"So he taught you to kill?"

I look at him and I just sense how uneasy he is about the whole idea that I, the woman he loves, is a rained killer. I can only imagine that Marian was much like him and only killed if she had to. "Yes he did but, " I smile. "He mostly taught me how to fight wielding a blade and taught me how to aim an arrow and shoot my target." As I say this I am reminded of the three men I killed in the forest that Robin then found. "He also taught me languages like French and Latin, how to disappear into the shadows, how to pickpocket and pick locks. Everything I know, I owe to William and the other Shadow Hunters."

There's a brief moment of silence as I can only guess that he's trying to process all of this or he's in shock from not knowing all my hidden skills.

"And how did you come to work for John?"

I let out a sigh. "That's a long story."

Robin gives me a grin. "We have a long journey."

I chuckle. "Working for King John was never our intention…" I begin. I tell him everything starting with William's death and how I found Isaac and forced him to take me to Bradford. While he had his suspicions, Robin was surprised to find out that Isaac and I weren't actually related.

I tell him about my encounter with Delvin and how I got my injuries and how I trained Isaac while awaiting news of Delvin's whereabouts. "On our way back from a contract, Isaac and I decided to stop in Papplewick to see if we could hear any news. While there, Gisborne and his guards recognized Isaac and I from our recent wanted posters. We were hauled off to Nottingham and King John told me he knew who I was and gave me a deal. Your life in exchange for money, my freedom and resources." I look away suddenly as if ashamed. "All I could think about was how if I was free and had the money and resources, I could hunt down Delvin and make him pay for what he's done." I clench my jaw. "I had no real idea who you were except what Isaac had told me so it didn't matter to me."

"So you did all this because you wanted to avenge your husband's death?" He asks, quietly. "You should have known that whether or not you killed me, John would have ordered your execution. He wouldn't have rewarded you like he said he would."

"I know. I was so naïve and so heartbroken that I was willing to believe the offer was real. "I nod. "Before William's death, he set aside some money and we were talking about retiring from being assassins and starting off new and starting a family." A tear slides down my cheek. "Delvin knew about this because William asked for his blessing."

"And in return he sent bandits to kill you." Robin asks and I nod.

"He thought we were foolish for wanting to leave. He said that our love was weakness." I pause for a moment." I pause as I feel Robin grab my hand and give it a light squeeze.

* * *

><p>As we drew nearer to Worksop, I turned around to wake Isaac so he could wake the others. At my touch, he drew his dagger and pointed it at me. "It's just me." I reassure him and he sighs with relief before putting his dagger away. As he stretches, he looks around at the rest of the gang who is fast asleep before looking over at me. "Were you two up all night?"<p>

"We were." Robin answers. "Eva was telling me you know some people in Worksop so we're going to rest there for a while and eat. "

At the mention of Worksop, I could see the excitement in his eyes and gave him a questioning look. Grinning, he shrugs and turns away to wake the others. I watch him suspiciously and Robin glances over. "What's wrong?"

"It seems happy to be stopping in Worksop." I mutter. "I wonder why that is."

"Maybe he has a lover you don't know about." He chuckles. As he says this I try to think of who he could possibly like. He's an attractive man who tends to draw the attention of women but I couldn't for the life of me remember who he's ever shown an interest in. Could he have said something but I was too preoccupied with my own problems to listen?

We stop at a small stream and disconnected the horses from the cart to let them drink from the stream. The rest of the gang was now awake with the exception of Much who was still slumbering. Robin frowns at him. "Allan, how much of that drink did you put in his flask? Shouldn't he have awoken by now?"

"Not too much. I just put enough for him to hopefully shut up for majority of the trip."

Robin glances at Djaq. "How strong was this drink?"

"The past few nights Much was saying he was having nightmares of what had happened in Nottingham so I made a slightly stronger version to help him sleep soundly. He should be waking soon."

"About how long?" Robin asks.

She looks down at him and shrugs. "An hour or two perhaps. "

Robin nods and turns to Allan. "Well, since you were the one who gave him the drink, I think it's only fair that you get to stay here to watch the cart and keep an eye on Much."

"But I was doing it for the greater good!" Allan exclaims. "He was giving us trouble about going to the hideout so I figured I could use my skill at sleight of hand to keep him quiet. I think I should be rewarded."

"How about I bring back a sweet roll or some other some other treat for your heroic effort?" Isaac offers with a grin.

"Thank you! I'm glad somebody here recognizes my efforts." He looks at Robin. "Fine, I'll stay here."

"I'll stay as well." John says as he sits down near the stream. "Just in case Much wakes while you're gone, I don't want Allan aggravating him any more than usual.

"Thank you, John." Robin says with an amused grin and turns away with the rest of us in tow.

* * *

><p>As we enter the town, it is already buzzing with activity as the towns folk are going about their activities. Robin stops and pulse out a small purse and takes out a few silver and hands it to Djaq. "Take this and go get whatever you need to help with Eva's wound. Once we get back to the cart, can you check on it?"<p>

She nods and leaves with Will as we start making our way to the blacksmith. Nobody is present except a young boy stoking the fires of the forge and Isaac and I exchange glances. He walks ahead of us and talks to the boy. "Where's the Blacksmith?" We hear him ask as we approach. The boy glances at us then back at Isaac. "He's been ill the past few days. His daughter has been inside taking care of him while I've been fulfilling orders for him." Isaac quickly turns away and walks toward the door nearby and knocks. I watch as he fidgets as he anxiously awaits somebody to answer the door. He raises his hand to knock once more but the door opens and Sabine's face lights up as she sees him. "Isaac!" She exclaims as she flings herself at him and pulls him into a passionate kiss. My jaw drops and I hear Robin chuckle from beside me. "Looks like I was right." He whispers. I watch in disbelief as Isaac wraps his arms around her and lifts her from the ground and spins around before setting her back down. They rest their foreheads against one another and smile as the say how much they missed each other.

I clear my throat and as they look over, Sabine blushes as she noticed Robin and I. "I'm so sorry. It's good to see you again Eva!"

"You as well." I say. She introduces herself to Robin and turns back to Isaac.

"Is your father alright? I was told he was ill."

She frowns. "He's had a fever for the past two days and can been coughing and complains of being cold but I've made sure to keep him covered with blankets and keep a fire running…" The poor girl looked ready to burst into tears as Isaac pulled her close and caressed her head tenderly while whispering comforting words.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Robin offers. Sabine pulls away from Isaac for a moment and begins to shake her head.

"I'll go find Djaq and see if she can help." I say. Robin nods and I quickly run off in the direction that she went.

I find her and Will near a shop stall looking at various herbs when I approach them, making sure to keep my head down so that my face is covered. "Djaq." I say quiet enough for only us to hear. She slowly glances over at me. "What's wrong? Is everything okay?" She asks.

I look around me for any sign of guards. "A friend of mine and Isaac's is in need of your medical attention."

"Do you know what they have?" She asks.

"Not really. His daughter said he's had a fever for the past couple days, he's been coughing and he's expressed being cold regardless of being covered in blankets and a fireplace in his room at all times." I explain. "Does that sound like anything you know of?"

She's quiet for a moment before speaking again. "From the symptoms you've described, I believe he might have pneumonia."

I frown. "Is there anything you can do?"

I watch her as she looks around at the herbs in the various baskets at the stall. "I think so."

"Do you have enough money to get both the herbs for him and I?"

Will looks down at the coins in his palm before shaking his head at his wife. "We'd be short."

I reach for my purse on my belt to find it no longer there. I curse under my breath and Djaq frowns. "It's alright. Use the money Robin gave you to get what you needed for my wound. I can wait until we get to the hideout. He needs it more than I do."

"Are you sure?" She asks. "I can think of another method?"

I shake my head. "I don't know how severe his illness is so I won't risk it. Focus on him first."

I pretend to look around at the various herbs and spices for sale but I look around for any guards or anybody else who could recognize me from any new or old wanted posters. Once I'm sure it's safe, I turn my head slightly towards Djaq. "Come to the blacksmith shop once you have what you need."

She gives a small nod and depart through a dark alleyway between the dwelling and make my way back to Theo's workshop. Once I arrive, the boy is now heating up some pieces of metal and Robin, Sabine and Isaac are nowhere in site. "Are they inside?" I ask the boy as I approach.

He nods. "Yeah. Miss Sabine offered them some food."

I mutter a thank you and go through the little door and up the stairs. At the top of the steps, I look around. It's amazing how it's been 3 years since I had been here eating at the very table that Isaac and Robin sat around when I first asked Theo about Giles." I walk over near the doorway to the kitchen and watch Isaac and the way he looks at Sabine. He says something and she smiles. They haven't noticed me yet but as I watch them I can't help but wonder; In however long he's been wooing her, has he ever told her the truth about our first visit? That we poisoned Giles instead of giving him the sword he was supposed to deliver so that he wouldn't come back after them? About how I was one of the "fallen family" that Delvin had the sword made as a tribute for and I was on my way to kill him?

At that moment Sabine rises from her seat to refill the tankards on the table and spots me. "Eva! I'm glad you're back. Would you like some ale?"

"Sure." I smile. "Thank you."

As she turns away to grab another tankard, Robin rises and walks toward me. "Were you able to find Djaq?"

I nod. "She and Will were in the marketplace still buying herbs. They didn't have enough to buy the herbs needed to treat my wound and to help Theo so I told her to focus on helping Theo."

He frowns. "But your shoulder…"

I give him a small smile. "I'll be fine. Once we get to the hideout, Djaq can tend to my wound and you can fuss over me then."

I feel him grab my hand as he leans forward. "I just don't want you to catch a fever and get worse."

"It'll be okay for now. If it makes you feel any better, I'll have Djaq change my bandages and take a look at it when we get back to the cart."

He lets out a sigh. "Fine." He mutters and I can see that in his already tired state, his worry about me and the black knights doesn't help.

Once he releases my hand, I walk over to Isaac and lean near his ear. "Do you have a shilling? I'm going to take Robin over to the Inn—"

He smirks. "For what?"

I feel my cheeks burn as I roll my eyes. "To sleep. As we've told you before, we've been up all night and he needs to get some rest before we need to leave again."

Chuckling, he reaches into his purse and pulls out a shilling. "I was only teasing you." He smiles. "Are you going to share a bed with him?"

I feel my heart beat quicken as I think about the night in the barn. "Why?"

"You need some rest too. I just want to know if I need to give you another shilling if you need to get another room."

I take the shilling from him. "No. I'll be sharing the room but I'll be standing guard just in case. If need be, we'll switch off."

He frowns. "Eva, I was only joking."

Sabine waits until I straighten before she offers me a tankard of ale. I thank her and quickly drain in before setting back down on the table. "Thank you, Sabine. Our friend, Djaq, will be here soon. She is very gifted in medicine and alchemy and should be able to help your father."

Hearing this, I watch as her face brightens. "Oh, thank you!"

I nod and walk over to Robin. "Djaq should be on her way once she has what she needs so let's head over to the Inn so you can get some rest." I turn away from him and look at Sabine and Isaac. "We'll be back later to check on your father."

Robin and I descend down the stairs and get out the door before we put our hoods up and make our way towards the inn. Since we first arrived, the sun had risen higher in the sky. We reach the inn and I give the Innkeeper the shilling. As he puts the key on the counter, he looks between us. "Have I seen you two in here before?"

Shaking my head, I take the key and hand it to Robin before going to find our room. Once in the room, Robin shut the door behind him and locks it while I walk over to peer out the small window. "No signs of any guards or black knights yet." I turn to look at Robin as he carefully sets the key on the small table next to me. "You should be able to sleep for a few hours."

He unbuckles his belt and scabbard and places it on the table. I watch him as he steps closer to me and feel his breath on my neck. "So we're safe, for the moment at least."

I nod. I beat my heartbeat quicken as his hands encircle my waist and he takes my belt and scabbard off as well. He places it next to his and carefully unclasps my cloak and sets it aside. His fingers lightly graze my neck as they hook onto the left side of my tunic and slide it down to expose my uninjured shoulder. He moves behind me and, slipping his right hand around my waist, he presses small kisses along my neck and for a brief moment, I close my eyes and let out a sigh. "Robin…" I turn around in his arms to look at him, giving his usual cheeky smile.

"What?" He chuckles. I place my hand on his chest.

"Now isn't the time. You need to rest."

"I know I do." His hands remain around me as he walks backwards a little and sits on the bed. "I will sleep…after."

I chuckle and take his face in my hands so he can look at me. "Not isn't the time."

He sighs and leans back on his hands. "When is it ever the time?" He asks as he looks up at me. "This is the first time since when we were together in that barn that we've had any actual alone time. Every other time we were injured, running for our lives, hiding or were surrounded by the rest of the gang."

"I'm injured now." I point out.

He leans forward and he wraps his arms around me once more and rests his chin on my stomach. "I know…" He sighs. "And if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be."

I step back to look him in the eye. "What do you mean it's your fault? I was the one who betrayed you. I was the one who took the arrow to the shoulder so that you wouldn't be killed." I kneel before him. "Those were all choices I made."

He cups my cheek with his hand. "But when you told me of your betrayal, you wanted to explain everything but I was so angry that I just let you go." His jaw clenches. "I let you go and basically sent you to your death." He sighs and rests his forehead against mine. "Once Isaac told me what would happen if you went back without killing me, I knew that if I did nothing, you would have been gone forever."

"I don't blame you for being angry." I whisper. "What I did was unforgivable—"

He cuts me off by pressing his lips against mine. As he pulls away, his gaze meets mine. "If now isn't the time, lay with me. At the very least let me just hold you like I did in the barn that night so I know you're safe." He gives me another kiss and moves some hair away from my face. "We both need to rest anyways."

I smile and pull him into another kiss. His arms encircle me as our kiss deepens until press my hand on his chest to stop. We separate and I nod. "Alright. I'll lay with you, Robin."

He smiles and gives me another kiss before helping me up and lying back with his back near the wall. I lie down with my back near his chest and my head on his left arm while he holds my waist with his right arm to keep me close while keeping some distance from my wounded shoulder. We just lie there, listening to each other's soft breathing until we finally given over to the sleep and let it wash over us.


End file.
